


Shining

by Blue_Moon43



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Healing, Jedi Code (Star Wars), Jedi need therapy, Mace Windu Being a Jerk, Not a writer, Philosophical drabble, Psychoanalysis, Psychology, Rape/Non-con Elements, Reader-Insert, Rex is daddy, Romance, Slow Burn, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) Spoilers, humor me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 19:21:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 31,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29614209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Moon43/pseuds/Blue_Moon43
Summary: A fanfic about the Clone Wars universe and maybe further- a conglomeration of my Star Wars obsession, psychoanalyzing tendencies, and desperate attempts to write well.  OC/Reader goes on a long journey of adventure, healing, and romance while our favorite characters from the Clone Wars tag along.*If you ever want to read the next part of the story quicker, I post this story faster in smaller chapters on Wattpad.  My username there is the same as here :)*
Relationships: CT-7567 | Rex/Reader, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am not a writer! I am trying my best and have much love for these characters in my heart and hope you enjoy. <3 All constructive criticism is so welcome and encouraged!

A void. Darkness. Absence swirls about your being in silence as you search. It does not want to be found. It knows who you are- what you are.

You will the nothingness surrounding you to shift and part as you examine every possible shadow in the void. It knows to hide from you. It senses your presence and has practice avoiding capture. You, however, have practice capturing.

You can tell you're getting closer. You sense Its location and accelerate your search. It lingers just out of your grasp. You become impatient. You tear gashes in the darkness and watch the folds of reality bleed out, staining the darkness with a far deeper shade.

You lash out and the dark swirls race past you. They brush past you, stinging slightly as you reach out into the void, and... you capture It. You force it down violently into the fibers holding the darkness together and it fights you but you are too strong, your entire being tightly piercing It. 

Your eyes flicker open. You sit cross-legged with your arms outstretched and your hands palms-up and clenched into tight fists. You float several feet above a metal platform in a large, empty room. You feel It inside you. The Force.

You exhale deeply and see your breath plume in front of you in the frigid, metal room. You feel electricity pulse at your fingertips and bask in the power you contain. Your voice rings out and echoes off the walls. 

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. 

Through Passion, I gain strength. 

Through strength, I gain power. 

Through power, I gain victory. 

Through victory, my chains are broken. 

The Force shall free me."

The long, dark hallways of the cruiser stretched on for what seemed like miles. The countless twists and turns of the hexagonal passages would without a doubt confuse a stranger hopelessly trying to navigate them, but luckily for you, you had walked them countless times and knew them like the back of your hand. Countless cycles of wandering the same ship would do that to a person.

You had just returned from a successful mission in the Outer Rim where you were sent to retrieve a Jedi holocron. It had been in the possession of several monks in a decrepit, abandoned Jedi temple and you easily dispatched them to achieve your goal. Now you were on your way to report your success. 

You easily navigated the ship and finally arrived at a large door. This was the entrance to your Master's quarters, and technically yours as well. You waved your hand in front of the motion sensor. It raised quickly, revealing a dark sitting room. You hesitated for a few seconds, then strode inside. The door slammed shut and the darkness settled in. You waited quietly, knowing your presence was already sensed by the room's other inhabitant. As if on queue a dark-robed figure entered the room from one of the doorways further inside the quarters.

Your confident pose was betrayed by a slight shaking in your hands so you tucked behind your back, and squeezed them together hard, turning your knuckles white. You tried to hide the fear in your body. "The mission was a success, Master. We obtained the Holocron as you commanded from the Jedi." You lifted your arm and pressed a button on the device around your wrist and a hologram of a square-shaped Holocron appeared. The tall figure approached closer, stooping down, his face illuminated by the blue light.

Dark, stringy hair fell jaggedly across a long face and sharp jaw. High cheekbones raised further as he smiled, revealing white, sharpened teeth. It was the exact opposite of a handsome face, but it was a face you knew better than any other. "Well done, Carida. This will greatly please The Supreme Leader." His voice still chilled you to your bones when you heard it. It always sent your body into a panic and you had to fight yourself to remain calm, presenting an air of confidence at all times. The only way to describe your Master's voice was pure silk being torn by a rusty knife. It flowed beautifully but had a metallic rasp to it that rang in your ears and made you feel lightheaded and nauseous. On the rare chance he spoke kindly and quietly to you, however, his voice had the sweet consistency of golden honey, and you would bask in the way it wrapped itself around you, filling you with longing for him.

Emotions hidden behind your helmet and your mind focused on containing your feelings, you remained stoic and simply nodded, turning off the hologram and placing your hands back behind you. The light abruptly left the room, casting you both back into darkness. Septus got closer, and you fought the urge to step back. "Remove your helmet, apprentice." He whispered straight into the audio processor, his voice running down your spine. you complied, gripping it tightly to hide your shaking hands. Night-vision gone, you could see nothing but you felt Septus' bitter breath against your cheek. He placed his long, spidery hands on your waist, nails digging into your flesh. "You know I love to see the flush of battle in your cheeks when you return from slaying our enemy." His bright yellow eyes glowed in the darkness. You felt something hot and moist against your cheekbone. He had licked you. All-too familiar nausea bubbled up inside you and you breathed in through your mouth in an attempt to quell it.

One of the hands on your waist let go and you felt a long finger stroke your wet cheek. "I can taste their suffering. It lingers on this beautiful skin of yours." You squeezed your eyes shut, wishing you could leave your body and escape to somewhere, anywhere but here. "How many Jedi worshippers did you slay today in my service this day, woyunoks?" You tried to ignore his massive body crushing yours and cleared your throat. "Many, Master." "And you watched their souls flow from their miserable husks? Watched their cursed blood stain the earth? Tell me woyunoks." "Yes, master. I slew all the Jedi-worshippers in the name of you and the Order. They died slow and I watched them slowly slip away. They suffered for..." Something began throbbing against your abdomen and you felt teeth against your earlobe. "For their treachery against our empire." A growl rolled in your ear, your hips being forced against the hardness beneath your master's robes. "How. Many?" Tears threatened to fall but you would not let them escape. "Twent- Twenty-one, Master." you felt him still against you. Shit.

"Were there not twenty-two creatures in that temple?" His nails dug harder into your left hip, no doubt leaving sharp crescents in your skin. "There was... an infant, Master." you were released with a shove, stumbling backward and dropping your helmet. "YOU LET A JEDI-WORSHIPPING SPAWN LIVE?!!" you were wrenched off your feet by an invisible force at your throat. His rage pierced you through the Force. your ears roared as you felt your oxygen cut off, still unable to see anything and now not even able to feel the floor. "Master please!" you croaked desperately, clawing at your neck. "I- knew he would die without anyone to care for him. A death even slower than the others! I did it for you! Please, Master!" you pleaded as though your life depended on it because it most likely did. A few seconds passed and you felt your throat released. you fell to the floor in a coughing fit, your lungs gasping for sweet, sweet oxygen. you heard steps towards your and were yanked up by your hair and thrown against the wall behind you.

"You little fool. Did you not think the Jedi would sense the child's peril and come for him? That they would discover their dead brethren and find out they had been attacked at a distant outpost?! They will alert all the other temples, completely undermining the purpose of your covert mission. Are you truly this stupid after I spent cycles educating you?" Your tears fell now, refusing to be held back. "I'm sorry, Master!! I failed you," you sobbed, reaching out into the darkness and grabbing his robe. "I will never make this mistake again, I promi-" He slapped you. Hard. you tasted blood and whimpered, leaning your head into his chest. you disgusted yourself. you were pitiful, unable to even complete a simple mission correctly after all this time. You foolishly hadn't expected him to be able to read you so transparently. You tried to kill the child, but when you saw it lying there in the arms of his slain mother, you knew you couldn't. You knew the Jedi would come to save him, but you couldn't bring yourself to snuff out such a young life, an innocent life. That baby hadn't asked to be in the temple, he was no Jedi-worshipper. But now you were paying the consequences of your foolish mercy.

You pulled yourself up, faintly making out your master's furious eyes and staring into them with your wide, tear-filled ones. You whispered to him, pleaded with him softly, begging for forgiveness. Septus placed his hands on your cheeks, soothing the throbbing skin with his clammy palms. you leaned into his strength, praying to the gods that he would forgo your usual punishment just this once. It had been a hard mission and you didn't know if you could handle it today. Your master wiped your tears away with his thumbs and clucked pitifully. you raised your eyes to his, daring to peak through your wet lashes. you only saw stone. you began to beg again but he clamped a hand over your mouth.

"I was hoping to give you ample rewards tonight, little one. This was an important mission and your success would have been a true testament to your skill and my teaching. I would have ravaged you." you protested into his hand, your words muffled into muted squeaks. "Oh, my sweet one... look how defiant you've become. He shook his head. "There was once a day you'd obediently accept your punishment for failure and learn from it." His eyes narrowed into slits and his grip on your face tightened, ignoring your hands clambering at his chest. "Clearly, you require a reminder of your place."

You were dragged screaming across the chamber and down a short, wide hall. Septus yanked open a heavy manual door leading to a tiny space the size of a small closet. He threw you inside, watching you for a few moments. You reached for him, already feeling cold from his absence around you. "Please, Master! I promise I'll be obedient, don't leave me!" He turned away, clearly unfazed by your hysterics.

"I'll fetch you when I feel you've learned from your grave failure today." you tried to scramble to your feet, reaching out and crying out to him, your throat hoarse. "The longer you fight this the longer you'll have to STAY" Septus whipped an arm out and Force-pushed you back against the wall. Defeated, you took one more pleading look up at Septus. "Please, Master..." you whispered. "I need you." your master smirked. "I know." The door slammed shut and darkness enveloped the woman.

"Holy shit, you look awful." 

You sat down next to your friend in the officer's mess hall and immediately regretted it. "Thanks, Zal." you rolled your eyes and turned your attention down to your tray. You were well aware of how you looked currently. A ghastly reflection peered back at you through the metal of your tray. Dark circled gaped back at you. your skin was gauntly stretched over your bones, and the cheek where you had been hit was marbled with shades of purple and blue. You didn't know how long you had been in that room, but it had felt like an eternity. Regardless, it had taken its toll on you. 

"Hey, I'm sorry Carida. You know I didn't mean it like that." You looked up at him. Zal's hazel eyes were wide with concern, and you knew you couldn't stay annoyed with him. You patted his hand and gave a small smile, even though your bruise shot pain up through your face as you did. "I know, Zal. I promise I'm okay. It looks worse than it feels," You lied. "Besides, it's my fault anyhow. I really fucked up on my squad's last mission." You couldn't make eye contact when you said that, as much as you truly believed it.

"I may be overstepping my bounds here," Zal spoke slowly, and you narrowed your eyes. "But how does clobbering your face and hiding you away gods know where for a week help the problem?" You stiffened. "You're right, Zal. You are overstepping." The young brunette sighed, brushing his curls out of his eyes and looking at you imploringly. "Carida, you're my friend. I wouldn't say shit this serious, this dangerous if I wasn't convinced you're in real trouble. What happens next time you make a mistake?" "Easy. I won't make another." He threw his hands up, exasperated. "You know you can't control that. And if I recall correctly, this has happened before when you didn't even do anything wrong! It happens whenever that madman we've been stationed with feels like-" You scrambled to your feet, fuming. "If you know what's good for you, you wouldn't speak of our Master that way." His brows furrowed. "He's my commander, Carida. He's your master." Your cheeks burned red, and you gave him a dangerous look as if daring him to continue. He shook his head in defeat, standing up with his tray. "Alright, have it your way. I'm just trying to look out for you." 

You turned to leave but he placed a hand on your shoulder, causing you to flinch. Zal looked like he could cry right in the middle of the mess hall. "Just know, I and the rest of the team are always here for you. All you have to do is ask." You closed your eyes and sighed. You were angry, but you couldn't blame him. His energy field was full of honesty and concern, and if nothing else he would never understand your position. He was head mechanic, he barely spent any time with Septus. You were your master's apprentice and led his troops; he'd been training you personally for years. Not to mention the more... passionate parts of your relationship. 

You gently removed Zal's hand from your shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." He gave you a sad smile and you headed away, no longer hungry. "Oh, by the way!" He yelled after you. "Vanessa wanted me to tell you to visit her in the lab! She has something she thinks you'd want to see." You acknowledged his message and continued out of the mess hall, smiling to yourself. Nessa always had a new, exciting discovery to show everyone on the cruiser, and most times it was a new bacteria strain or weird experiment Septus had asked her to run, but you loved watching her face light up while she talked nonsense about science. You had no desire to return to your chambers any time soon, and headed towards the Science Level, forgoing the transporters and instead, enjoying the freedom of the long halls of the cruiser.

As you entered the Science Level, you were immediately hit with the familiar yet eternally bizarre scent that the Separatist employees called "Septus Stink" behind closed doors. The story was when your master had first been assigned the vessel, he had begun his first batch of many, many dark experiments he would conduct in the state of the art facilities on the Predator. One of these experiments ended badly when a large vat exploded, leaking Bantha remains into all the cracks and crevices of the science deck. Thousands of credits were spent on cleaning, but the smell still lingered. 

Walking down the halls on this floor was always a marvel to you. Through every door was a different set of machinery or equipment, with countless scientists working away at different jobs Septus had assigned them. Nessa's lab was the largest and most impressive, and she often shared it with your master when he had a new idea for some kind of creation or breakthrough. 

Today, Nessa was there by herself, and she squealed in delight when she saw you standing in the doorway. She ran across the lab and tried to hug you, forgetting about the very large and very sharp apparatus in her hand. "Woah there, are you planning on dissecting me?" You stepped back from her and she looked confused until you pointed out the object, and she laughed, throwing it on a counter and grabbing you in a bearhug. You grimaced, you hated being touched and you still had many sore spots from your last mission and your recent altercation with your master, but you hugged back. Nessa was the only person you allowed to touch you this much without reciprocating with a broken limb. Nessa was one of the few people who hadn't let your prickly exterior scare her away and had persisted until you realized she genuinely wanted to be your friend- a phenomenon you had never really experienced before. 

Her musical voice tinkled through the lab. "Carida, how are you? Zal told me he heard you were back in action today! I was so worried but I knew you'd be okay. You're a tough cookie." Finally, she let you go, still holding your hand as she closely examined you. Staring through her massive glasses, you felt slightly like a bug under a microscope. "My goodness, that's quite the shiner you've got there! What's the other guy look like?" You took your hands back and chuckled, shaking your head. You needed this energy around you today. "It's not important Nessa. I'm okay and ready to get back to work." Vanessa twirled a stray curl around her finger and looked at you worriedly, but didn't ask anything else about it. 

She walked across her lab and you followed her to a section of her lab filled with plants and strange contraptions. "Some of the droids came back from a mission further out in the Outer Rim the other day and one of the mechanics brought me some plant matter she found on them. I'd never seen it before so I started investigating, and you'll never guess what I found." She looked at you with that bright, excited look you loved to see. You smiled and looked at the counter. She had a clear, sealed box on top with a tiny glass dish inside with a few specks of what looked like a cooking garnish on top. "Nessa, that's tiny! How did the mechanic notice it while cleaning the droids, let alone think to bring it down here?" 

Vanessa had a playful smile as she grabbed some tools from the other side of the counter. "Well, it just so happened that I'm seeing one of the mechanics who was in charge of cleaning for the day- last time we were together she mentioned the droids going to this planet, and I asked her to check for specimens since it's never been cataloged for its plant life." "Nessa!" You exclaimed, elbowing her in jest. "Why didn't you tell me you were seeing someone? Is it that cute senior mechanic with the dark hair who covered for Zal while he was sick?" Vanessa blushed, giving you the answer you were looking for. You chuckled and gave her a small squeeze. "I'm happy for you. She seemed super sweet." Nessa nodded. "She is. This is all very new of course," she plopped all her tools next to the clear enclosure. "But it feels great to have a little sense of normalcy during this war. You really should see if anyone around the ship catches your eye!" Your eyes dropped to the ground. Vanessa's eyes widened as she realized what she said. "Oh gods, Carida. I'm sorry." 

You scuffed the ground with your foot, closing your eyes. With so little outside contact on the ship, it was normal for most of the workers to date and hook up amongst themselves in their free time, You had been asked out and propositioned by a few people, and you had always refused. Your extremely close relationship with your master made connections with others in an intimate way virtually impossible for you. That is until a certain new pilot had asked you to have dinner with him in his quarters. Irris was his name. He was charming, funny, and kind. He had been assigned to fly your ship for covert operations and the two of you grew close very quickly. He wasn't like the other men or women on the ship who feared you and your closeness to the commander- in fact, you were pretty sure he didn't fear anything. 

He finally asked you to join for an evening in his room, and you hesitantly agreed. Although you were constantly intimate with your master, it wasn't like you wanted to. He ordered you to obey, and you did, no matter what. You knew the many consequences that would happen if you didn't. But Septus had never told you that you couldn't pursue a real relationship with someone on the ship, although you knew in the back of your mind he probably wouldn't like it. You had an incredible time with Irris that night. That is until he tried to kiss you. You closed your eyes and leaned in when your nightmares came true. The door was thrown open and flew across the chamber. Septus stood in the doorway, seething and screaming in ancient Sith. He force-pushed Irris so hard into the metal wall he hung there, immobile while your master grabbed you, and Irris was forced to watch Septus show him all the things he regularly did to you behind closed doors. 

You're mine, he had repeated over and over as he destroyed your body and soul. You're mine and you will always belong to me. After he had his fill, he tossed you to the side and it was your turn to watch as he used the Force on Irris, your sweet Irris, ripping him apart limb from limb in front of you. You couldn't return to mission work for weeks while your body recovered, but your heart never had. You had only told your friends the bare minimum, but the whole ship quickly heard about the dismembered pilot in the morgue and they filled in the pieces of the story for themselves. 

You sighed, blinking back tears, and shook your head. "Please don't worry about it, Nessa. I've made my choices, and they're very... different, but I'm content." You gave her a pained smile. Nessa squeezed your hand tightly across the counter. "As long as you're happy, honey." Happy? You weren't sure if you'd ever been happy before. Content, you thought. That's close enough. You cleared your throat. "So, tell me about this intriguing plant matter you found that you think will interest me so much." You teased. Nessa rolled her eyes at you. "Well, I ran all the normal tests and didn't find anything abnormal about it. You scrunched up your nose. "Then why am I here?" Your redhead friend put her hand to her heart. "Fear not, my dear friend. I would never waste the precious time of an esteemed officer such as yourself. During my tests, I turned on a solar lamp to see if it had any rapid growth properties, and something unexpected happened."

She handed you safety glasses that you put on and Nessa situated a solar lamp in front of the container and turned it on. Almost immediately, there was a gargantuan explosion, louder than the largest landmine you've ever heard. You instinctively fell to the floor, covering your head and looking around for the source. Nessa laughed, causing you to jump up and look at her like she was crazy. "Vanessa!" You never used her full name unless you were upset or panicked. "What the hell what that?!" The scientist gestured toward the container that was now full of cracks throughout the thick plasteel. The dish had turned into dust inside and the plant specks were nowhere to be seen. 

"That, my friend, was ten-thousand megatons of explosive force!!" She cackled like a mad scientist you had seen in holo-movies. You shook your head in disbelief. "But-how?..." Nessa grabbed your hands excitedly. "This is an organic plant that becomes intensely explosive in sunlight!! The planet they come from is completely dark, so no one there would have known... Imagine," She cried, jumping up and down, your arms flapping with her. "If we were able to put this plant into mines that your covert team could set at night, and completely take the enemy by surprise? Droids don't prefer daylight the way clones and the Jedi do, and we'd have an advantage if they were forced to travel only at night for fear of these massive weapons. this could be revolutionary!" She raised her hands into the air victoriously. 

You laughed out loud, shaking your head at the idea. Nessa really had found something that intrigued you. "Nessa, that's incredible! Like, really incredible!" Your friend beamed. "Yea, I figured you'd like it. I'm gonna show it all to Lord Septus when he comes down later." Your heart dropped. "He-he's coming here? When?" You hadn't seen him since he let you out of your room yesterday. He had forced you to go straight back to work, which happened to be a night shift, explaining why she looked so rough when she got food with Zal. She looked at you, realization hitting her. "Oh, there I go again. Don't worry honey, he's not coming for a few hours yet. He's waiting for one of our teams to get back with a prisoner that appears to be a race not in the database! He wants me to dissect it to catalog the details. I'm very excited about that as well." 

You gulped. "Dissecting it... alive?" "Well of course! That's how we get the most accurate information on how its anatomy works. We can keep him alive even longer than normal thanks to Septus' powers." She sighed. "Oh, to be a Force-sensitive scientist. Anyways!" She clapped her hands together. "That's all I have to show you so far, but fear not, I will keep you updated on my progress with the new solar mine idea." You smiled and said goodbye to Nessa. 

You were extremely happy to hear Septus would be preoccupied for a few hours because that meant you would have the room to yourself. You sighed happily to yourself at the idea of an uninterrupted shower. You traveled up to the residential level and quietly entered the familiar room, listening for any sign of movement. Luckily, you heard nothing. 

Your shoulders relaxed and you headed straight for the refresher, shucking off your armor and blacks immediately upon entering. You set the water temperature to exactly how you liked it- scalding. A groan escaped your lips as you felt the hot water hit your shoulders, shedding away all of your pain and stress immediately. You rarely risked taking showers anymore. Septus could somehow sense when you were undressing and would take that as an invitation to use you however he wished. The hot water was always gone by the time you were able to crawl away from him. This time, however, you had the refresher to yourself and you planned on enjoying every second. 

You stretched and twisted and rubbed the soreness out of your muscles, grabbing a bar of soap and carefully running it along your skin. You carefully cleaned your force-bruised neck. You stretched out your cramped legs, sore from your time in the cramped closet. Finally, you gently cleaned the finger-shaped welts on your hips. After a few more minutes of bliss, you reluctantly turned off the water and stepped out, drying off with a towel. 

Grabbing your brush, you worked through the knots in your hair. You vainly wished your dark hair would shine. It used to, you remembered, but over time it grew dull and lifeless. You turned to look at yourself in the mirror and instantly regretted it, the evidence of your current situation stamped across your skin and etched into your bones, constant painful reminders. You hated looking at what your body had turned into- a human punching bag for your master's rage and "passion". On missions, you felt strong, like you could take down the entire Republic singlehandedly, but whenever you stepped off the shuttle into the Predator and stood in front of Septus you felt as fragile as a flower stem. It was almost humorous to you the way you could be string fear into your troops one moment and bending to your master's will the next. 

Scrunching your eyes shut, you tried to remember what your body looked like before Septus, when your skin had been clear and firm, your eyes bright and your shoulders high with hope, but no matter how hard you tried all you could see was the same broken body. Perhaps it was better this way. Remembering yourself that way might reinstill those pesky sparks of hope, the ones Septus always sensed immediately and beat out of you. Hope that the war would end and you'd be free of this living nightmare. 

It was better to focus on reality- your body might be scarred but you accepted every single wound for the love of your master, the man who brought you to the Separatists and taught you everything you knew. He trained you and made you the warrior you were today. He protected you from the tyranny of the Republic. You opened your eyes and stared into their reflection in the mirror. You produced a tight-lipped smile, ignoring how it didn't quite reach your tired eyes.


	2. One More Chance

A week or so passed, and everything was going back to normal. Duties continued on the Predator and Septus had remained relatively calm which was good for you. You were at lunch with your two friends when your communicator began pulsing, meaning your master had summoned you. You bade goodbye to them and headed to the bridge which was bustling with activity as usual. 

Septus was seated in the command seat and beckoned you over when you entered. "I have a very special mission for you, Carida." Your eyes widened. It was great to hear those words after spending so many weeks on the Predator. You needed to feel something other than metal under your feet. However, as you heard the plan, you began to wonder if it was worth it. "Count Dooku has sent his apprentice, Ventress, on a mission." He said the woman's name as if it was a curse. 

"We are being sent to supply support troops to her, and we will do so. However, I am expecting you to go on a special mission for me against Dooku's plan." You looked at him dubiously. Disobey Dooku's orders? This was crazy. Your master sensed your fear and leaned forward, rage growing in his eyes. "Dooku was foolish to choose a feral creature like her as his apprentice over someone so strong in the Force like myself. I do not doubt that she will fail and shame herself in the eyes of her master, but to make sure this happens, you will do whatever it takes to guarantee her failure." 

You frowned. "But, Master- if her mission is going to help our cause why would you ask me to-" Septus slammed his hand on the armrest, silencing you. "Dooku could have taken me to be his apprentice, and he foolishly decided to choose a feral Night Sister. He will see the error in his ways, and then he will come crawling back to me. I will finally be christened as a true Sith." His eyes glowed as he ranted. You knew this was no time to argue with him. "Yes, Master. I will not fail you." "Good," He reached out and stroked your cheek, chuckling when you flinched. "Make your preparations. We will depart in two days."

The hours preceding the mission were fairly uneventful. Septus warned you not to mention your mission to anyone onboard, and so you kept your mouth shut as preparations were made for the upcoming mission. When the day arrived, you waited in the hangar bay with droid troops as they loaded up the transport ships. Dooku had ordered your droids to this planet to kill the Republic operatives and obtain a Huttling, of all things. You knew Jabba was powerful but surely this wormling wasn't so important Septus thought her failure or success could change the course of the war. 

You watched the hyperspace lights flash by the windows as you and the other pilots awaited the order to embark. You would be lying to yourself if you said you weren't nervous- you had heard tales of the Night Sister's powers, and Ventress had been trained as a Sith. You glanced in your fighter pod at your sleek, metal staff. You were glad Septus had access to Beskar, or you would never stand a chance against Ventress' lightsabers. Fighting her was only in the plan if all else failed, but you felt safer knowing you could at least put up a fight if you needed to.

The ship exited hyperspace with a jolt and you climbed in your ship. The hangar doors flew open, signaling it was time. You and the other fighter ships zoomed out ahead of the transport vehicles. You flew in formation until you reached the surface of the planet. The fighters scattered, flying towards the front of the monastery while the transports landed to let out the troops. As you maneuvered around the monastery entrance, you located the Republic soldiers in your ship's targeting computer, and something else... 

The fighter to your left exploded, and you heaved your ship to the right, narrowly missing some debris. You looked out the front glass and finally saw two figures on the ground, glowing beams of light at their sides. Jedi. You cursed them under your breath and regrouped with the other fighters as they came around for another strike. You knew you had to separate from the main attack force to be able to sneak into the temple undetected so you considered your options and settled on a plan. 

You positioned yourself in front of the other fighters and navigated your ship on a trajectory leading straight into the monastery's large entrance. You tried to keep you breathing even as the ship's warning alarms began beeping loudly. If this didn't work, you'd probably end up dead. You watched the ground come closer and closer, and then at the last possible second, you pulled the eject lever. The glass top popped open and you flew into the air just as the ship smashed into the wall of the monastery, sending shrapnel and fire everywhere. As you fell towards the ground you used your armor's grappling tether to latch onto the side of the building, swinging towards it, your body slamming into the stones and forcing the air from your lungs. You glanced around. You were hanging just above the ignited ship remains, and were hidden by the thick smoke. 

Just as you had hoped all the clones had dashed out of the way and were now focusing their efforts on the fighters still in the air. Looking down, you swung on your tether and, disconnecting it, jumped past the wreckage and rolled into the monastery entrance. Scrambling to your feet, you glanced behind you to make sure you were still unnoticed and headed inside the structure quickly and quietly. 

You knew the Jedi would be forced to barricade themselves in the monastery to protect the Huttlet and themselves, so you decided the best way for you to succeed in your mission was to keep a close eye on them from the shadows and if necessary, take down your own troops to protect them. You hated this. It felt so wrong to work against your allies and being forced to protect the Jedi, of all people. But you couldn't fail Septus- you knew the consequences would be lightyears worse than the punishment for your last failure. You wanted to say that this was an abnormal request, but you knew plenty of Separatist officers who had told you stories of their generals ordering them to kill their troops or provide espionage on other leaders of the Separatists. It seemed to be the way things were under the Sith.

Dozens of footsteps drawing closer caught your ear and you looked around for somewhere to hide. The large room you were in had an arcing ceiling many meters above you, and you noticed the massive pillars framing the room. These pillars were full of ornate carvings which included large, flat shelves near the top. You bit your lip, praying to the gods that your tether would reach. 

You aimed and fired your grappling hook. It landed right below the shelf you were aiming for. That'll have to be close enough. You jumped and began retracting the cord, quickly lifting yourself off the ground. The running footsteps and voices entered the entrance room you were in just as you clambered up over the platform's curve and clutched to the side of the pillar. You heard the large entrance door slam shut. 

You peaked down over the edge and saw a dozen or so clone troopers, an R2 unit droid, and two other figures. One was a tall, dark-haired young male who appeared to be human. He wore a dark tunic over his shirt and pants with minimal armor strapped on. The other figure was much smaller, and you recognized her as a togruta by her brightly colored skin and her striped montrals. She wore a simple band around her chest and a skirt over her leggings. You didn't know much about togruta aging but from her size, you couldn't imagine her being older than a young teen. She also wore a backpack containing what looked like a giant slug. You grimaced. So that must be what a Huttlet looks like. 

However, your eye was more importantly drawn to the metallic cylinders hanging from each of these figures' belts. Jedi. Your heart began beating so hard you wondered if they could hear it. This is crazy! You imagined what would happen if they found you. It won't matter that I'm technically supposed to be helping them, one look at me and I'll be sliced in half! Stars, I'm in some deep Bantha fodder. 

The larger Jedi was talking and you tried to ignore your inevitable demise by listening. "Captain, we'll stay here until General Kenobi arrives with reinforcements." You mentally cursed. This planet would be crawling with Republic troops soon and there would be no way for you to get out even if you managed to complete your mission. The Jedi turned to the small togruta who looked very unhappy. Me too, sis.

"What?" He asked her. "Master, do you honestly think we can hold them off? We've got to find a way out of here!" Hearing the word "Master" was deeply disconcerting but you ignored the pit it formed in your gut. She must be a padawan, then. Well, dude, your padawan makes a good point. We have to get out of here! Her master shook his head. "Our mandate is to protect this Hutt, and that's what we're going to do, Ahsoka." 

Ahsoka raised her voice and you cringed. "Our mandate was was to get this Hutt back to Tatooine, and time is running out." You readied yourself for her master's punishment for her disrespect, but to your astonishment, he simply crossed his arms. " I suppose you have a plan?" Ahsoka smiled and turned to the R2 unit who beeped happily. "Yes, or I think so, R2 willing." Her master uncrossed his arms and nodded. "Alright, Snips. I'll trust you on this one." He turned to the Arc Trooper next to him. "Captain, hold them here as long as you can." The captain nodded. "Yes sir." 

The two Jedi began walking further into the monastery as the clones prepared their forces. You decided the best way for you to help would be to follow the Jedi and make sure the Huttlet stayed safe. Glancing in the direction of the hallway, you were pleased to see the architecture feature you were standing on continued its pattern down the passage. You hoped you were high enough that you could traverse the rafters unnoticed. Using your tether, you quickly and silently swung between each of the columns and made your way into the hallway, following the two Jedi at a distance. The Jedi took a few turns until they reached an old computer terminal. 

They stood back while the R2 unit approached and connected to the terminal. The togruta looked at the droid fondly. "If there's a way out, Artooie will find it." R2 beeped in agreement while he searched the information bank. The man glanced at the Huttlet and saw his eyes were closed, soundly napping. He chuckled. "Finally asleep, huh? Put him down, get some rest yourself. It's been a long day for you, little one." 

You cringed again. Did every master use the same words? Ahsoka frowned and stood up straighter. She seemed to dislike the phrase almost as much as you. "I can hold him, Master. I'm not tired." Her master rolled his eyes and sat on the nearby bench. "Okay, suit yourself. I don't see why you won't just listen to me." Ahsoka stepped forward earnestly. "I do listen to you master, I just don't like being treated like a youngling." "You must have patience, Ahsoka. What are you trying to prove anyway?" 

Ahsoka looked down at her feet, suddenly bashful. "That I'm not too young to be your padawan." She said quietly. Her master rose and placed a hand on his padawan's shoulder gently. "Ahsoka, a very wise Jedi once said 'nothing happens by accident.' It is the will of the Force that you are at my side. I just want to keep you there in one piece." Ahsoka finally looked up, sharing a moment with her master and the ghost of a smile reached her lips. She placed the backpack gently on the ground and took a seat next to her master. 

Your intent watching was interrupted when you tasted something salty. You touched your face to find streaks of moisture. You were crying. Shame and confusion filled you. Why were you crying? You couldn't even remember the last time you had cried. However, you thought, glancing at the two Jedi as they rested and laughed with each other, you also couldn't remember the last time you had seen anyone care for another so deeply and innocently. 

Suddenly, a massive boom shook the entire building and the two Jedi sprang to their feet. "That sounded bad..." The master said, alarmed, while the two turned to the R2 unit who had just begun beeping excitedly. He turned on his holo-projector and an image of the monastery plateau appeared. As it spun, a section on the back began to glow red, drawing their attention to what looked like a tiny platform off the back of the cliff. "A backdoor landing platform!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "We'll call for a gunship when we get there. Lead the way, R2." 

Her master stepped back and allowed the droid to begin scurrying down the hallway. As they traveled, the Master's comlink began to pulse. A voice you recognized as the clone captain's came through. "Anakin, come in." Both of the Jedi looked confused. "Anakin?" Ahsoka questioned. You knew you had heard that name somewhere before but didn't have time to think about it further because the captain continued. "We've held the droids, sir." Anakin was just as concerned. "That's not like Rex..." "What is your location?" Anakin's eyebrows furrowed. "Ventress." Ahsoka's eyes widened and she looked at her Master. "Dooku's assassin?" You shook your head. She's way worse than an assassin. Anakin's voice became much more urgent as he gestured for his friends to follow him down the hallway. "She's here to kill the Hutt. Come on!" 

They hurried away and once they were out of sight, you jumped down onto the floor. You had no choice now. You had to slow down Ventress so they could escape. You stowed yourself in the shadows of the hallway, waiting. So this is it. If you fail and the Republic captures you, you'll be imprisoned for life. If you fail and Ventress chooses to keep you alive, she'll bring you back to Dooku who will probably torture you for a while and then kill you. If you fail and somehow make it back to Septus... well, you would take Dooku's torture and life imprisonment over that. You began to hear soft but urgent footsteps approaching you. 

You quickly drew the Beskar staff from your back and held it tightly in your hands, your fists grasping it as hard as they could. A tall, lithe figure turned the corner into the hallway you occupied, quickly approaching. You tightened your grip even more. "Who the hell are you?" Her raspy, deep voice shook your entire being. You stood up tall in a defensive position, holding the staff across your body. "Someone who cannot allow you to go any farther." Okay, wow. That was stupid. Ventress moved closer until she was only a few meters away. She squinted at you and suddenly her eyes lit up in recognition. "I've heard of you... You're that girl Septus found to be his make-believe student to soften the blow of not being chosen as Dooku's apprentice." Ventress laughed and her voice practically scraped against the metal around you. Now I see why Septus doesn't like this bitch... 

You furrowed your eyes and pointed your staff toward her. "I may not be a Sith, but I can still stop you." Ventress began closing in and plucked her lightsabers from her waist, igniting them and illuminating the hallway in a red hue. "We will see." She leaped at you, lightsabers extended. You dashed to the side and turned in time to block her next swift strike with your staff. When the saber struck the Beskar, it turned red hot, sending sparks bouncing in every direction. You were completely fucked. There was no way in the galaxy you could defeat a real Sith apprentice. 

Ventress began a ruthless stream of strikes towards you with her sabers that you just barely blocked. You were losing ground quickly and knew you wouldn't survive much longer if you didn't take the offensive. You delivered a strike toward her abdomen, forcing her backward. Ventress spun and lashed out toward your legs but you jumped back and pushed her with the Force. You gained more confidence and advanced, swinging at her side. She blocked it but you quickly swung the other end of the staff at her feet, knocking one leg out from under her. She fell backward and you went in for a final blow when she reached her empty hand towards you and you lifted off your feet, a familiar force tightening around your throat, your staff falling out of your grasp as you clawed at your neck. 

Ventress grinned through narrowed eyes and stood as she slammed you into the wall. You hit it shoulder first and heard something crack as your vision left you for a moment. Your left side from your collarbone to your first rib exploded in pain and you cried out. With a bloodcurdling scream, Ventress used both hands to Force-push you into the other side of the hallway. You didn't feel the impact this time but your vision became extremely blurry and your body went limp. You saw Ventress's shaky form watch you as she released your throat and you collapsed on the floor. Her hurried footsteps continuing down the hallway was the last thing you heard before you blacked out.   
Woah. Your head was swimming. Wait, why is it so dark? 

You opened your eyes and even the dim light in the monastery stung them. You looked around and tried to get your bearings when you realized you were curled up on the floor, your blaster rifle digging painfully into your back. Gotta get up. 

You wiggled your fingers and toes, beginning to regain feeling in your limbs. You flex your arms and legs, then placed your palms against the cool stone floor and pushed yourself up to a sitting position. Ow, Ow, Ow!!! Your left shoulder shot pain up through your whole side in protest of your change in positions. You rubbed it gently, sitting for a second as your vision finally cleared. Okay, I'm alive. Somehow. The only question was, were you too late? 

Slowly, you raised yourself to your feet, leaning against the wall you were recently thrown against for support. Your legs shook slightly and your shoulder continued to throb painfully, but you made it up. Okay, that wasn't so bad. Your Beskar staff was lying a few meters away and you made your way over to it, carefully leaning over to pick it up and using your right arm to slide it into its strap behind you. You had to get moving- you didn't know how long you were unconscious and needed to try to catch Ventress before she killed the Huttlet and Jedi. 

You began running down the hallway towards the landing platform. The monastery shook as you ran. What the hell is happening down there? You made it to a wide, winding staircase that seemed to go on forever as you descended it. You reached the bottom after what seemed like an eternity and continued through the twists and turns of the building. 

As you ran through a large room on the bottom floor, you heard laser fire and crashing noises from a hallway to your right. You ran as quickly as you could and saw two figures fighting out on a large platform at the end of the hall. The far end of the platform was shaking and crumbling, vibrating the whole platform and doorway. 

Staying close to the wall, you continued and suddenly saw Anakin rise up from the cliffside on some kind of giant bug. What the hell is up with these Jedi?! You hid in the doorway and saw Annakin slam into Ventress with the bug, pushing her back. He flew over to Ahsoka and grabbed her, pulling her up onto the bug's back. You saw Ventress prepare to jump up after them and you quickly shot out your grappling tether. It wrapped around her ankle and sent her slamming to the floor when she jumped. 

Ventress's head whipped around and her eyes filled with rage when she saw you. She moved to ignite a lightsaber and free herself, but the platform finally cracked in half and began to fall in one giant, heaving chunk. Ventress began slipping down the crumbling platform and fell with it, causing you to fall forward, heaving on the rope to keep yourself from being pulled over the edge, your injured shoulder causing you to cry out in pain once again. 

You peered over the side and saw Ventress hanging on for her life, glaring daggers at you that you could practically feel slicing your throat. You quickly pulled your knife out of your boot, cutting the tether and sending her screaming into the fog of the jungle. You quickly stood and ran back inside to safety, your heart racing. Did I just kill Ventress? You supposed there was a chance she survived the fall. Gods, she could probably levitate with the Force or something. You decided not to wait and find out as you headed back the way you came to the main entrance. You had to find a way out of the monastery and off the planet.

Far beneath the monastery, Ventress stood up from her fall and glanced around the cliffside. A small, decrepit doorway could be seen on the side of the mountain, almost fully covered in vines and overgrowth. She easily cut the foliage away with her saber to reveal a cramped staircase going up in the direction of the monastery. Ventress smiled and hurried inside.

You easily traversed the building's winding hallways to the front entrance, but you cursed when you saw what was happening outside. It was a fully-fledged battlefield with clones and droids fighting everywhere. There was no way you'd make it out alive or unnoticed. You looked around, panicked. 

You saw several clone corpses lying on the ground and got what was probably your stupidest idea of the day, even after crashing your fighter. You grabbed the closest clone and pulled him behind a large pillar where you pulled his armor off. You then removed your own and put on the clone's armor as best you could. It was made to fit a very specific man's body and was by no means comfortable, but you were able to adjust it enough that it would work for now. You looked longingly at your rifle and Beskar staff before turning away and scooping up a clone blaster. If you were going to blend in you had to leave them behind. 

Finally, you tied your hair in a tight bun and placed the clone helmet on your head. The inside display was pretty similar to that of your helmet and made you feel a little better about the strange sensation of wearing Republic armor. As a finishing touch, you slipped your knife into your boot and headed out into the chaos, gun at the ready. 

You were immediately thrown into the sway of battle, droids shooting at you from every angle. You dashed to cover, shooting at all the droids you could see. It felt wrong to destroy your troops, but they saw you as the enemy right now- you had no choice. You saw a group of clones taking cover around a crashed ship and scurried to join them. They took no notice of you and kept fighting so you did the same. 

Now, this felt wrong. You worked surprisingly well with the clones, covering each other and slowly taking down the droids. You surprised yourself further by destroying a droid that was sneaking up on one of the clones near you. It turned out that it was quite easy to kill droids when you had spent dozens of missions leading them. You knew their programming and battle tactics, as well as their weaknesses and blind spots. The battle also became easier when another Jedi emerged from the monastery and leaped into battle. 

This man had ginger hair and a full but short beard. He wore a light-colored tunic in a very similar style to Anakin's. As much as you hated the Jedi, you couldn't help but marvel at his fighting prowess on the battlefield. With his help, you were quickly able to leave your cover and begin to advance on the remaining droids. Slowly but surely, you pushed them back and were able to destroy the last of them. 

As the battle came to a close, the clones congregated in the middle of the courtyard, awaiting orders from the General. "Well done, everyone. Now, let's get out of here and go help Anakin." Help Anakin. well, that was technically what you were supposed to do, however, this disguise would only work for a limited time. The moment you opened your mouth to speak your cover would be blown and you'd be executed or taken prisoner, and neither seemed like great options to you. 

Part of you wanted to make a dash for it and wait till they left to try to find a different way off the planet but another part of you was tempted to get on the Republic ship. It was bizarre and felt like you were almost being pulled to it among the crowd of clones. Did you even really want to go back to the Predator? You had stopped trying to escape a long time ago but you had always kept your eyes out for any chance. What if this was finally your way to get away from Septus? You didn't have time to think about it anymore so you followed your instincts and got on the ship. There was no way out of this now. You were a prisoner of the Republic.


	3. Cages and Keys

The ship landed in the Republic cruiser circling the planet and you almost shit yourself when your shuttle opened. There were clones everywhere. "Alright, men." The Jedi stepped out of the shuttle and turned to address you all. "We're headed to Tatooine. It won't take us long to get there so stay close. We'll all go down to the planet when we arrive along with Master Yoda. Good work today. Let's hope Annakin hasn't made another mess for us to clean up." 

You have got to be kidding me. Master Yoda!? You were dead, you were so dead. You were on an enemy cruiser full of thousands of clone troopers and at least two Jedi masters- why did you think this was a good idea? "Hey, Clicker, that was some good shooting out there! Have you been hitting some late-night target practice?" One of the clones put a hand on your shoulder as they all began to disperse. You immediately flinched. Shit shit shit shit shit- "You alright, Clicker?" The clone tilted his head in confusion when you didn't respond. 

You needed to respond or do something but you were finally out of bright ideas, so you ran. It was stupid and hopeless but you didn't know what else to do. You shoved the clone's arm off and ran down the platform. The hangar was massive, with ships and machines of all sizes stationed around and lining the sides. 

You quickly spotted a group of fighter ships and dashed towards them, hoping the controls were similar enough to the Separatist designs. Clones were yelling behind you and you saw the dozens of busy clones begin to notice you running. The hangar bay doors were closed, you knew it was hopeless even if you managed to get in a ship, but you still had to try. You had to get out, to get back to your Master. 

Footsteps clattered behind you and you dodged a few troopers attempting to grab you from their stations. You ran past a cargo transport and shoved a stack of crates leaning next to it in an attempt to slow your pursuers down. On the other side of the transport, you reached the center of the hangar. It was relatively empty except for a few clones and droids and you saw the fighters straight ahead. Almost there. 

You sprinted, almost daring to believe you'd make it when you felt hands grab you around the waist and a body pull you to the ground. You yelled in terror and anger as you landed on your stomach, your captor grabbing your arms and wrenching them behind you, pinning you down. Your left shoulder sent lightning through you and you laid your head on the ground, gasping in pain. A clone's voice yelled from above you. "What the hell is wrong with you, Clicker?" Out of the corner of your eye, you saw dozens of white boots surround you. Your helmet was pulled off of your head and you squinted in the harsh light. 

A chorus of voices cried out in confusion and alarm. "What the... hey, someone call the general!" You felt something cold clamp around your wrists and heard the snap of metal cuffs. The weight on top of you lifted and you were hoisted up. Finally able to see, you glanced around in terror. 

Two clones held your cuffed arms and the captain from the planet stood in front of you, your helmet in his hand. You stuck out your chin and glared, trying to look angry but your body betrayed you as it shook in terror. "Who the hell are you?" The captain's angry voice sent a shudder down your spine. He got closer. "Where did you get this armor?" You struggled against the two clones holding you but their grip was too strong and your shoulder too painful. "I don't talk to Republic scum." You spat each word out like it was poison.

At that moment, the circle of clones parted, and the bearded Jedi from the battle came jogging across the hangar, approaching you. He crossed his arms and looked at you curiously. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" "I believe she's a Separatist soldier, General. She must have stolen Clicker's armor." The captain held up your helmet. The Jedi glanced at it and then back at you, putting a hand on his chin. "Would you care to tell us who you are and what you're doing in clone armor, my dear?" You rolled your eyes. "As I told your fine captain here, I don't talk to Republic scum. Least of all a Jedi!" You tried to lunge at him, making it a few inches before the clones holding you pulled you back. The Jedi didn't move but simply frowned at you, resembling a disapproving parent. "Well, we have more pressing matters to deal with than this woman currently. We have to go make sure Annakin and Ahsoka are okay. For now, Rex," The Jedi said, turning to the captain. 

"Escort her to the detention level and find her a cell. Kix, Jesse, keep a tight hold on her. I'll explain the situation to Master Yoda and we can all pay her a visit in the brig on our way back to Coruscant." Rex nodded. "Of course, General. Let's go, boys!" You screamed internally as the clones began dragging you out of the hangar and further into the ship. How could you have been so stupid? You walked onto their ship and allowed yourself to be captured. How could you possibly be so useless? What did it matter that you possibly stopped Ventress if you had doomed yourself to interrogation, torture, and probable execution?

The clones forced you along through the ship to the detention level. On your way, you passed countless clones who all stared. Those without helmets on glared harshly and those with helmets on were most certainly glaring as well. You could feel the heat on your face from their anger as you trekked along through the secure detention entrance and finally stopped outside a cell. Rex turned to you and crossed his arms. You looked at him and tried to hide the fear you felt. It was incredibly disturbing to be the only person in a room without a mask on. "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. We've all had a long day and would prefer the easy way, but it's up to you, Separatist." 

You sighed, eyes falling to the floor. It was useless to keep fighting. You might as well accept your fate. "Alright then. Are you wearing armor blacks under there?." You nodded. "Good. Now take off my brother's armor." His words were cold and harsh. "Umm..." There was no way you were stripping down to your under-blacks in front of these men. Rex scoffed. "Fine, we'll do it the hard way then." He grabbed at your front, looking for your chestplate's clasps. You cringed away from his hands, nearly falling to the floor. He barely took notice and got closer, yanking you onto your feet and grabbing at your sides to disconnect the plates. You writhed and kicked, panic shooting through your body. The men holding you grunted with the effort of holding you still. Rex grabbed tighter at one of the plates and you whimpered like a baby, tears stinging your eyes and threatening to fall. Too many people were touching you, holding you down, manhandling you. 

You cried out and yanked your right arm out of Jesse's grasp. He yelled at you and grabbed you again, causing your tears to fall as a sob escaped your lips. Rex stopped. You stared at him pleadingly, cheeks stained with tears and burning with shame. "Please, please! I'll do it myself, I promise." Your voice shook and you disgusted yourself with how truly pitiful you sounded. Rex looked at you for a moment longer before moving back. "You have one chance, and don't try anything funny." His voice was slightly softer than before. You nodded, extremely grateful. 

He nodded to the other clones and they released you. Kix removed your cuffs and you rubbed your wrists. You quickly began removing the armor, face still burning as the three clones stared at you. As you removed your boots, you remembered your knife. "Uhh, there's a... a knife in my shoe." You held your hands up and raised your leg in front of Rex. He seemed to stare at you again for a second. Take that damned helmet off! You couldn't read his face and it was driving you mad. He put one hand on your ankle and fetched the knife out with the other. You watched him examine it closely. "This... this is a Sith blade." You weren't sure if that was a question or statement so you nodded and continued undressing. 

You had the upper portions off and had to finish the bottom. Rex tucked the knife away and you felt a little piece of your heart break. That was the last part of your Master you would ever see. When you finally finished, Rex took your communicator and led you to the cell, giving you a gentle touch to enter. You did so, turning around as the red laser field ignited between you and the clones. Jesse and Kix gathered up Clicker's armor and they left, leaving you alone in your cell. You backed up against the wall and slowly slid down it, curling up against the wall. 

This room was only a little larger than your cell back home on the Predator. You tried to calm your heart but your pulse kept racing and you could swear the walls were slowly closing in on you. You tucked your legs into your body and set your arms on top of them, leaning your face into your lap. You clenched your fists and finally let your tears flow freely, your body racking with sobs.

As the three clones headed back through the ship, Captain Rex kept an eye on the prison's security cameras from a window in his helmet. They watched as the new prisoner sobbed in the corner. She looked up for a moment, seemingly blinking away tears and at that moment, her face was the most heartbreaking thing Rex had ever seen. If she wasn't a Separatist soldier, he probably would have even felt bad for her. He didn't, of course, but he couldn't help remarking to his friends as they headed back up through the ship. "I've got to tell you boys, in all our years of battles, I've never seen a Separatist cry." 

You woke suddenly inside your cell. You raised your head and saw the clone captain from earlier standing outside your cell as well as the Jedi you recently learned were called Annakin and Ahsoka and the other Jedi you had fought with on the planet. "Hello there!" His accent was exotic and strange to your ears. You were still a little groggy so you simply stared at them through your bloodshot, tired eyes. 

You noticed Captain Rex wasn't wearing his helmet and you saw his face for the first time. He had olive skin and amber-brown eyes. His jaw was strong and he stared at you with an intenseness that made you shiver. He resembled all the other clones you had seen thus far except for his buzz cut, which was dyed platinum blonde. You were surprised that although you knew he was a clone, he appeared significantly different than the others to you. 

Maybe it was his facial expressions or the way he stood ever so straight with his weight slightly favoring his right foot, or the way his eyebrows were furrowed as he looked at you, probably awaiting the order to shoot you. You wouldn't blame him. You had killed many of his brothers and although you didn't exactly felt bad, you knew how you would feel if someone killed your friends. 

"We were hoping you would be a little more communicative than the last time we spoke." You shook your head wearily. You just wanted them to get it over with and kill you. "I don't know anything." Anakin scowled at you. "I highly doubt that. What were you doing on that planet? What were your orders? What were you planning to do once you got on our ship?" He pelted questions at you like he was throwing rocks at your skull and each one stung. You shook your head again, harder this time. "I told you! I don't know anything! I-" You looked at Rex, into his large eyes as if he would pity you any more than the others in the room. Unsurprisingly, he glanced away, grimacing at the floor. 

Annakin shook his head. "Well, Obi-wan, we tried." It was your turn to grimace. What kind of name is Obi-wan? What an unlucky man. The strange-named man nodded to his friend and pressed a button on your cell, turning off the force field. You sat up straight, scurrying into the farthest corner. Obi-wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka all entered the cell while Rex stood outside. "This is your last chance to tell us what we want to know willingly, Separatist." For being so small, Ahsoka's voice could pack a lot of venom in its words. You simply stared at them, wide-eyed. 

You almost wanted to tell them so that they'd kill you but part of you still feared what would happen if they didn't kill you and Septus found out. You'd rather die in this cell than face his wrath. You wanted to explain, tell them you cooperate would if only it was safe, but even just explaining your situation would be too much information. Instead, you cowered in the corner.

"I... I can't." Anakin rolled his eyes. "Have it your way." The three of them stretched out their right hands towards you, closing their eyes. You began to hear a quiet ringing in your ears. "What are you..." You gasped. No no no no no- You yelled for them to stop, panicked now. The ringing grew louder. Their brows furrowed, leaning closer to you. Your hands clapped over your ears as the ringing burst into a crescendo, deafening you to everything else in the room. You were no longer in your cell, you were floating. The darkness of space surrounded you, tiny stars glimmering in the distance. You held your hand in front of your face but saw nothing, just more of the vacuum of the galaxy around you.

Woyunoks...

You jerked your head around frantically. What the hell? You tried to speak but your vocal cords were frozen. The voice was no louder than a whisper but you could hear it just barely over the cacophony of ringing in your ears. It grew closer and you tried to run, to escape this nightmare but you couldn't move, you were being held in place as if a string was tied to your spine and you were dangling in space.

Woyunoks, I can see you. I will find you.

You screamed silently, covering your ears even though it did nothing. The ringing continued, the voice grew louder, closer, you felt a hand on your back,

You will never escape me.

"NO!"

You were hurtled back to reality, you felt your soul return to the cramped cell. You were screaming incoherently, rocking back and forth. The three Jedi were panting heavily in front of you. You sobbed, clutching your legs into your chest, fists tight around your knees. Obi-wan looked confused, Ahsoka concerned, and Anakin pissed off. "You're stronger than you look, Sith. But I doubt you can fight me off again!" He stretched out his hand again and you cried harder but before he could probe your mind again Obi-wan grabbed his arm, shaking his head. "Anakin, stop. If you saw what I saw, you know this situation may be more complicated than it seems." Your heart dropped. What did they see? If they found out anything about the Separatists it could mean the death of Septus and all your friends on the Predator. 

"We need to go talk with the Council, not to mention the Chancellor." Annakin was not happy but lowered his hand. "Fine. But I'll be here next time as well. Regardless of who she is, she infiltrated my squad." "Mine too!" Ahsoka piped in. Obi-wan sighed. "We'll see what the Council says. Come on. Rex, please take our guest to her new boarding in the capital." Rex stepped forward, nodding. "Of course, General." The Jedi stepped out of the cell and begin making their way out of the room. 

Rex made his way over to you. "Come on. Let's get moving." When you made no motion to move, Rex grunted and grabbed your left arm, pulling you up. You screamed in pain and a loud crack was heard throughout the room. Rex immediately let go, stepping back. You cradled your arm, pain radiating from your shoulder. It hurt even more than it had when you were first thrown against the wall in the monastery. If my shoulder wasn't shattered before, it is now. Great. 

"What happened?" The three Jedi re-entered the room, alarm apparent on their faces. "I grabbed her arm to get her up but it wasn't hard enough to break something!" Rex was visibly upset and Annakin reassured him. "It's alright Rex, you didn't do anything wrong. You," He motioned at you. "Rex and my padawan will take you to the infirmary to get your arm checked out but you have to cooperate. Alright?" You nodded tearfully. You would do anything to lessen the pain in your arm right now. 

Rex stooped back down to you. "I-I'm sorry," his voice was still gruff but you could tell he was genuine. "I didn't realize you were injured." You nodded your acceptance of his apology and he extended an arm to help you up. You slowly and painfully stood with his help. Annakin and Obi-wan departed and you, Rex, and Ahsoka headed out of the detention level of the ship. Rex was fairly quiet on the long walk out of the ship, but Ahsoka never stopped talking. She greeted every clone, human, and droid you passed and somehow had a different story to tell each one. Rex responded whenever Ahsoka chatted with him and chuckled at her antics on the way. It reminded you of the way your friends and you would talk and it made your heart ache to think you would never see them again.

The medical bay on the Republic ship was massive, bright, and clean. The metallic floors shone so much you could almost see your reflection in them. Ahsoka and Rex led you through the bay to a clone who you recognized immediately as Kix, one of the clones who had forced you into your cell. You scowled at him as he turned to greet your escorts. Rex clasped arms with the other clone. "Kix, you remember our... guest." Kix smirked, glancing at you. "How could I forget?"

Ahsoka stepped forward and greeted Kix as well. "This woman has an injured shoulder and we were hoping you could check it out for her before we head to the Temple." Kix nodded. "Of course, that's my job." Suddenly, Ahsoka's communicator began beeping on her wrist. She answered, pressing a button. "Ahsoka?" It was Anakin. "I'm here, Master. What is it?" "We need you to come back to the Temple sooner than expected. There are some things we need to discuss with the council and they'd like you here." Ahsoka seemed quite pleased that the council desired her presence. "Of course, Master. Right away." 

She turned to the rest of you. "Rex, can you stay here to escort... the Separatist... to the temple when you're all done here?" "Affirmative, Ma'am. I'll radio you when we're on our way." Ahsoka smiled warmly. "Perfect, thank you. See you in a bit!" She turned and quickly headed out. "Alright, ma'am." Kix addressed you. "Please follow me this way." He motioned to one of the small rooms off of the main medical bay. You quickly became alarmed. You thought he was just going to look at your shoulder right here, not take you to a private room. You looked at Rex, ashamed you were even considering asking your captor for support. He could easily read the panic in your face and glanced back towards where Ahsoka had left. It was of course his luck that the one woman left on the ship had just left. You looked away, turning to walk away towards the room but to your surprise, Rex spoke to Kix. "You know, Kix, since this woman is still a prisoner, a non-medic trooper is technically required to be present in the examining room for safety purposes." Kix nodded. "Of course, Captain. Let's go get started." 

You all headed into the exam room. You were genuinely so grateful. He didn't understand how hard this truly was for you and he didn't have to do that. He was also very uncomfortable joining Kix for a female prisoner's exam but did so anyhow. You looked back at Rex as you walked and he simply nodded. You gave him the tiniest shadow of a smile.

The exam room was just as brightly lit and clean as the rest of the medical bay. You hesitantly sat down on the examining table with your legs hanging over the edge and your one good arm gripping the edge of the table with your fist. Rex stood at the head of the table. It was a rather tiny room so he stood as far away as possible, but he was still only a few inches from the table you sat on.

"Alright, ma'am. I know we probably got off on the wrong foot earlier with us taking you prisoner and everything, but please remember that in this room, I'm a doctor and I'm here to help. Alright?" You nodded timidly."Good. Let's see how severe this is so we know how to proceed. Can you move just your arm at all?" You checked, raising your lower arm but keeping the rest still against your side. "That feels fine." He nodded and smiled at you. "Okay! Good. Now can you move your upper arm?" You tried to lift it but the stabbing pain returned. You winced and placed it back down gingerly. "I can't move it at all. I had limited movement right after it happened but then..." You glanced at Rex and he rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at the floor. "It got, er, aggravated." Kix nodded. "Where do you feel the most pain when you move it?" You pointed to your upper shoulder and collarbone area. "Okay. I'm going to have to examine the injured area now." 

He turned and grabbed a pair of medical scissors off the counter behind him. "I'll cut your blacks so you don't move your shoulder. Don't worry, we'll give you some clothes afterward to wear before you head to the temple." You were less worried about the ruined clothes than you were about having your body exposed to these two men, but there was nothing you could do. They were being kind about it but you were still a prisoner. They could easily hold you down or cuff you again if you fought back- all you could do was let Kix begin cutting the rough fabric and hope they didn't ask you questions about- 

"Kriff." Kix had begun cutting down from the edge of the high neck on the blacks and could now see the blistered red abrasions on your neck. You said nothing, just scrunched your eyes shut and prayed he'd continue. He hesitated, glancing at your face but eventually began cutting down your arm gently. He then slid the cut fabric down off your arm where it hung on your side. The neckline of your blacks folded down, exposing the top of your collarbone. Kix pulled the edge of the fabric down to reveal the rest of your clavicle and tucked it under itself so it sat just above where your chest began to swell. Your whole left collarbone area was swollen and red. There was also a small bump that protruded against your skin. Rex winced just looking at it. He wondered how much of that was his fault. 

"Alright, Ma'am. You definitely have a broken clavicle." You groaned. "I want to get you under the scanner to check for other problems and to x-ray the break, but if everything else is okay I'll be able to reset it and put your arm in a sling for the time being." 

Well, I guess it could be worse. You remember the last time you had broken a bone. It was your pinkie finger on your right hand, of all things. You hadn't been able to have lessons for months and Septus was furious. The day was supposed to get your splint off he had summoned you to his quarters and among other things, rebroke your finger in the same spot. It was meant as a lesson in something, but you couldn't remember what currently. Either way, you actually found yourself feeling glad you were here instead of there. 

"If you don't mind lying down, I'll get the scanner going. Rex, could you give her a hand leaning back? I don't want her putting any weight on that shoulder." He turned to the large machine at the foot of the table and began fidgeting with it. 

Rex inched over to you. You swung your legs onto the table and scooted forward so you'd have room to lie back. You began slowly leaning backward but found it difficult with one hand. Your arm began to give out and you prepared yourself for the inevitable pain in your shoulder when you fell, but Rex reached out and put one hand behind your back and the other behind your head, supporting you firmly as he slowly lowered you. Your body gently reached the cushioned table and he removed his hands. He stood there for a minute, gazing at you and you felt your cheeks getting red. You wished he'd stop, you felt so incredibly vulnerable. Luckily Rex gave you another nod and headed back to his corner.

At that moment Kix announced had the scanner properly calibrated and said to lie still. You watched as the machine's neck slid across the edge of the table and the horizontal panel passed over your body. It returned to Kix at the end of the table and he gazed into the screen. You studied his face and thought you saw a glimpse of something strong in his face, horror or shock or something but it was gone in an instant.

Kix stared at the scanner's screen in shock. He had never, in all his years of treating the wounded, see anything like this before. The scanner screen had a life-like recreation of his patient's body on it, including all the injuries it had detected. There was barely an inch of her that didn't prompt a warning on the screen. Her broken bone and neck marks were obvious, but her whole torso was covered with wounds in various stages of healing. The scanner could also detect previous injuries that were now healed, and Kix almost fell over when he saw that list. He made sure to keep a look of professionalism on his face. But his brain was abuzz with questions and concerns. 

What in the galaxies has been happening to this woman? They had all assumed she was a Separatist soldier, but her body was in the state that they usually recovered their prisoners of war in, if not far worse. He had to clear his head and make sure he focused on the broken bone for now. He would address the rest later. "Good news!" Kix smiled at you. "It's a single clean break, so it should be easy to set. It looks as though it was only fractured till recently when it broke the rest of the way, hence the bulge. What did you say happened to it?" You closed your eyes and the ghost-smile returned. "I had an unfortunate run-in with an especially fearsome Republic captain." Rex looked up and Kix glanced at him and back to you before bursting out with a laugh. "So she has jokes!" Kix walked over to the counter and began grabbing things from the cabinet. 

He turned to you with a large syringe. You squeaked when you saw it. "Don't worry. This will numb your shoulder while I set your bone. Rex, can you help her sit up just a little bit? I'll need to inject the back of the shoulder as well." Once again Rex came to your side. He slid his hands beneath you and lifted you slightly while Kix came over with the syringe. You noted the way the captain held your head so you didn't strain your neck or aggravate your shoulder. 

You got yourself to a comfortable spot and he removed his hands when you turned to him. His presence was beginning to become less terrifying and more comforting which was a calming thought to have in this strange place. You did, however, grow much more agitated when Kix began lowering the syringe toward you. You hated needles.

"There will just be a quick pinch." He pierced your shoulder near the base of your neck and you fought the urge to scream. That is much more than a- oh Druk!- much more than a "pinch"... You squeezed your eyes shut as he pulled it out and lined up for another injection spot closer to the break. He went in and Kriff, it hurt even more than the last time. In a jerk-reflex, you reached out suddenly and, with your eyes still closed, managed to grab one of Rex's hands. He was alarmed by your action but didn't move as you squeezed his fingers so tight he winced. Kix removed the needle and leaned forward to reach your back. He injected you two other places before he sat back.

"Alright! We're all done with that. You should feel the effects any second." He glanced down and your eyes followed his. You were still gripping onto Rex's hand. You immediately let go, your cheeks burning. "I...I'm really sorry." You muttered under your breath. What an intimidating soldier you made. As Kix had said, the feeling in your entire shoulder quickly left you and the medic began the resetting process. 

After correcting the break, he slipped your arm into a sling to relieve the stress on your collarbone. He began to put the sling around your neck, but the fabric tugged on your injuries and you couldn't help but hiss in pain. Kix frowned and grabbed some gauze to put in between your neck and the sling. That helped, and you sighed in relief when your arm finally rested and released the tension in your shoulder. "Alright, Ma'am. You're all set. I'll grab some clothes for you to change into, and then you'll be ready to go. He turned to reach into another cabinet. "That is," he joked over his shoulder. "If you manage to stay away from captains who break arms!" You and Rex rolled your eyes. 

"Trust me, I'll keep this shoulder intact forever as long as Ventress doesn't throw me-" Shit. Shit shit shit. You overspoke. You got a shred of relaxation in this place and you overspoke. Both of the clones turned to you curiously. "Ventress did this to you?" Rex sounded confused. You sighed. It was too late now, you mused. "Yep." He looked at you, blinking fast. "But- I thought you were a Separatist." You smirked. "Not all Separatists are the same." That did nothing to alleviate Rex's confusion. "I guess I just assumed you would have since you both work for Dooku-" You snarled, it was a gut reaction to that name drilled into you. "I do not serve Dooku. That fool will never deserve the loyalty my Master demands." Kix turned back to you with a stack of clothes. "Well, it looks like we agree about something there." 

He stepped back and grabbed a datapad from the scanner. "Alright, Rex. Here's her report for you to give to the council. You're all set! I'm gonna head out now, but it was lovely to meet a prisoner of the state today. Not very often I get to arrest and treat the same prisoner in the same day!" The preposterous of the current situation was indeed truly bizarre. You chuckled softly. "Come say hello if you ever visit the Jedi prisons." Kix's face fell a little at that but he didn't say anything. Instead, he gave you a wave and headed out. 

Now it was just you and Rex in the room. You looked at your stack of clothes and then up at him. He realized what you were thinking and spun around to put his back to you, sputtering something between an apology and an "ah, yes, of course." You smiled to yourself. You had never met a man so bashful in front of a woman before. You began undressing from your blacks, and Rex cleared his throat when he heard the fabric rustling. You couldn't see his face at that moment, but it was bright red. "So..." He began, clearly trying to fill the awkward silence. "If you don't serve Dooku who do you serve?" You considered the question for a moment as you changed. 

Your master's existence wasn't a secret to the Republic and no doubt they would figure out who you served from the knife they took, so there was no harm in telling him. "I am apprentice to Lord Septus." You couldn't see his face, so you reached out with the Force to try to discern how he had reacted to that. You tried to be gentle, but you felt your mind slam into his and the clone jolted, whipping around. You held up your hands, waving them in front of you. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to. It's... hard to control sometimes." That may have been the first time you had genuinely tied to be gentle with the Force. 

Rex still looked disturbed but nodded. "It's alright, but you'd better keep that under control. I don't want to have to cuff you again and the Jedi won't be as understanding." You nodded back, looking down at your feet in embarrassment when you realized you were in your undergarments. Rex seemed to notice at the same moment because when you looked up his face was red. He turned back around incredibly fast. You went back to getting dressed. You just wanted out of this ship. You managed to slip on the long tunic Kix gave you but you halted when you realized something. The robe was open down the middle and needed to be tied with a sash to keep it shut, which you know you couldn't do with only one arm. You ran your good hand down your face in frustration. There was only one solution, unfortunately. 

"Uhh, Rex?" He turned his head slightly. "Yes, ma'am?" "I'm gonna need your help with something. Rex turned around and his cheeks grew slightly red again. He gazed at you as you held up one of the ends of the sash helplessly. There was something in the way he looked at you that made you squirm and get hot in the face, but it was also different than anything you'd ever feel. It wasn't a primal stare like Septus always had. It was more the way you used to see Nessa gaze at a new species or how Zal stared when a new ship prototype arrived on your cruiser. It felt like he was seeing something new and- beautiful. You blinked at him. Did you sense that in his thoughts or your own? 

Rex broke you out of your thoughts when he came closer. "I think I can help with that." He said with a small smile. He grasped the ends of the sash and wrapped the robe further around you to make it more secure before tying the sash in the front, stepping back to examine his work. You slipped the sandals on your feet and looked up at him. "I'm ready now." "Perfect. Let's head out." He placed a gentle hand on your right arm and escorted you out.


	4. Consequences/Another Way

You had never, ever seen a building as large as the Coruscant Temple before. You almost strained your neck looking up at it, but Rex ushered you forward inside. The guards let you pass, but you felt the Force around them build iron walls around themselves as you passed. You were truly confused why the Jedi were allowing a Sith to enter the Temple while only escorted by a clone trooper, but there were many things you didn't understand about them. 

You sensed the Force strongly in this place, but it was different than the way you usually sensed it. It evaded you as you walked, and you sensed every Jedi you passed doing the same. You felt as if you were producing the vilest scent in existence- the way they glared at you, hugged the wall when they passed, and scrunched their noses up at you. You felt like melting into the floor. However, you were extremely surprised that you didn't have a deep desire to snuff the life force out of every one of them, and that confused you most of all. 

You arrived at a large set of double doors where Anakin and Ahsoka were waiting for you. Anakin looked at you gravely and you quickly grew nervous. 

"The council is waiting for you. I'll take it from here, Rex." Your eyes widened in panic, shaking your head. "Wait, no- can't he come with us?" Anakin shook his head. "No one other than the Jedi are allowed in the Council chambers." You're about to bring me in there, and I'm certainly not a Jedi." The Jedi frowned at you. "You are an extremely special case. Rex knows the rules- also, you are still our prisoner and in no place to be making demands."

Ahsoka tapped her master on the shoulder and he turned to her, clearly annoyed. "Actually, Master, the Council did ask for Rex to give his report on our 'friend's' capture, as well as supply us with her medical report as Obi-wan asked." You gave her a grateful look. Anakin groaned in frustration and threw his hands up. "Fine! We can all go in." Ahsoka smiled and grabbed the door, holding it for everyone as you ll filed in. 

The sheer- well, force- of the energy in the room hit you like a wall of bricks. Seated in chairs around the room were at least two handfuls of legendary Jedi Masters, with a few joining the meeting via holograms. You recognized Obi-wan among them and a tiny green one who you believed was Master Yoda. 

The large windows stretched from the ceiling to floor on nearly every wall of the room, and the bustling surface of Coruscant lay far below. Ahsoka and Rex stood back while Anakin escorted you to the center of the room. You felt completely naked as the men and women in the room all dissected you with their eyes and probed you with the Force. 

Anakin was the first to speak. "This is the woman we have been telling you about, Masters. As you know, we did not gain much information from her when we were on the ship, but I believe she may cooperate more now." He looked at you with his last few words as if he was asking you a silent question. You looked back and nodded. Anakin then turned and returned to the back of the room with Ahsoka and Rex, who unbeknownst to you were both peering at the datapad with your medical report on it with widened eyes. Anakin frowned at them and snatched it away, motioning for them to pay attention. However, when he glanced at it himself he found his attention drawn away to the report as well. 

The Jedi glanced at Yoda, who was staring at you intently, a finger on his chin. "Tell us, will you, who you are, yes?" His warbly voice and strange sentence structure confused you for a moment but you discerned his words. You cleared your throat and clenched your fists against your sides. "Yes, Master Yoda." Hushed voices broke out around the room and you panicked. Had you said something wrong? You had no idea how to address this Jedi but thought his title would be most respectful, but what did you know about Jedi customs?

Yoda held a hand up, quieting the room. "Know me, do you?" You nodded hesitantly. "Yes, I have heard many stories about the Jedi and several about yourself." Yoda seemed satisfied with this answer and you thanked the gods he wasn't angry at you. "So who you are, tell us." You glanced at the Jedi around you once more. "I am called Carida. I am a Sith knight trained by Lord Septus." The voices broke through the room again. 

The man sitting to the right of Yoda spoke next, sternness in his voice so severe you stood up even straighter. "What was the Separatist mission on the planet where you were discovered?" "I do not know the exact details of the Separatist's plans on that planet, sir. All I know is that Asaaj Ventress was sent to kidnap and kill Jabba the Hutt's son, which would further their plans in the Outer Rim. I was there for other reasons." 

Voices whispered, and you sensed communications mingling through the Force. "Are you not a Separatist?" You nodded. "I am, sir." The Jedi looked at you curiously. "You are, and yet you were not working with them?" You hesitated. You did not want to give your Master up, but you knew it would be a losing battle. If you didn't tell them willingly, the Jedi masters in this room could surely rip the information out by force. You prayed Septus couldn't sense your betrayal.

"I was on a special commission from my Master to make sure Ventress failed in her mission." "Why would he want Ventress to fail?" "Count Dooku chose Ventress over my Master to be his apprentice. My Master was hoping if I made Ventress look like a fool, Dooku would reject her and rethink taking him on as his apprentice." "Then pleased you are, that the Jedi succeeded their mission, are you?" You nodded earnestly. 

"Yes, very much. I fought Ventress a few times to slow her down so the Jedi could complete their mission. That's how this happened." You gestured to your arm. "So that's what happened," Anakin spoke behind you and you turned. "Masters, I've been wondering why Ventress was so slow to find us and unable to capture us this yesterday. I believe this must be why." The Masters all mused and quietly discussed. You looked at the ground and scuffed your foot against the detailed tiles. 

"Carida, is it?" Obi-wan addressed you and you looked up. He was much less intimidating than the others and made you feel a little more comfortable. "After the battle on the surface, why did you get into our ship?" "Ahh, well... I don't really have a reason, Master Obi-wan. My fighter had been destroyed and I needed a way off the planet. It was foolish to think I could continue my ruse long enough to escape your ship, but I saw no other options. It... it felt right." 

"But Carida," Obi-wan pressed. "You could have radioed for help, reached out through the Force to your Master. Why did it feel right to get in our ship knowing you would most likely be captured?" You stared at him blankly. You weren't even sure if you knew the answer to that. No doubt, Septus would have heard you reach out to him. Your connection was strong enough he could sense you from lightyears away. You also could have easily stolen a radio from one of the broken droids to radio for a shuttle off the ship. However, you didn't do either of those things. You got on a Republic vessel and practically allowed yourself to be captured. "I'm not quite sure, Master Obi-wan. I think... I think part of me was hoping I would be captured." Those infuriating whispers again. Is every damn thing I say that controversial? Kriff! 

"Why would you want to be captured, Carida?" Obi-wan spoke softly to you. "Honestly?" You didn't want to say it. You hadn't even admitted it to yourself yet and saying it out loud would bring it to the forefront of your mind. You looked at all the Jedi's faces and they were like stone. You were not going to be given a choice so you whispered the words, tears already stinging your eyes. 

"Speak up, Sith!" The bald man's voice boomed and it shook you. "I was hoping to escape." You shut your eyes and quickly wiped the tears beading in your eyes away. "A Separatist with a sob story. Curious! Are the innocent lives you brutally stole finally settling heavily on your soul?" Your eyes opened and stared at the bald Jedi. "You- you don't know who I am." He pursed his lips tightly, rolling his eyes. "You just told us who you are. A Separatist, a Sith. Do you want to know how much I know about you?" 

You felt his energy surround and swirl around you. It was suffocating. "I know you are the epitome of what we stand against as Jedi. You lack kindness, empathy, and respect for life. Even now, you try to manipulate us with the Dark side and-" "Master Windu!" Anakin's voice was heard over the growing volume of the Jedi berating you. Windu glared in Anakin's direction but halted his speech. "What is it, Skywalker?" Anakin hurried over to Windu's seat and handed him a datapad. "I believe you and the rest of the council should look at this before you continue."

Windu looked annoyed but glanced at the datapad and promptly projected it into the air from a control on his chair. You looked up and nearly fainted. Floating directly above you was a detailed account of all the injuries your body currently and previously possessed, complete with a scanned outline of your form with each injury diagrammed onto it. Windu had just projected your entire medical scan into the council room. 

Anakin's eyebrows shot up as he looked at you and then the projection and then at Windu. "Uh, Master, I don't know if that's necessary-" "Quiet!" Windu waved Anakin back to the entryway. You watched the Jedi look at the projection and then back down at you, examining and thinking and you felt like Master Windu had just ripped your robe off and exposed you to the entire council. 

You looked over your shoulder to Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rex, who all returned your mortified look but you knew there was nothing you could do. The eyes on you were becoming too much to handle and you felt your body shaking. "Master Windu," Yoda spoke quietly through the murmurs. "Seen enough, we have." Yoda's bald friend nodded gruffly and turned off the projection. You couldn't look up. Tears had begun to stream down your face despite your hard work to keep them at bay. You were utterly and completely ashamed, and at this moment you truly wanted to die. 

"About how you came to join the Separatists, to be trained by your master, tell us Carida. About how you came to have these injuries and to wish for an escape." Master Yoda looked at you somewhat kindly but you couldn't be comforted right now. So you decided to tell them anything and everything so they would finally stop your torture and let you rot in your cell. You told them everything.

You told them how you couldn't remember anything from before Septus, how you don't even know where you're from if you have family or where they'd be, or even your original name. You told them how you were taken under Septus' wing when he plucked you from the ranks of officers to be his newly appointed "apprentice" and brought you to live on the Predator where you spent every waking minute when you weren't on a mission. 

You told them how he gave you a new name. That the name was the name of the washed-out planet in the Far Outer Rim where he found you, and you even told them about Septus' unique training and discipline regime. How your punishments for failure had broken your body and how his gifts for success had broken your soul. 

You told them about all the terrible things you had done for him and all the lives you took in the name of Septus, and how you had expected to want to kill every single one of the Jedi sitting in front of you the way you used to when you were with your Master.

"And so," You gasped, barely able to speak through your shaking and tears. "If the Jedi are truly as merciful as the legends tell, I beg of you to end this, even if it means throwing me back in a cell for the rest of my life. Even if it means death." The council chamber was finally quiet. Your hiccupy, heavy breathing was the loudest noise in the room until Obi-wan spoke to you in a near-whisper.

"Carida, did you want to become a Sith?" You shook your head, staring at him with bloodshot eyes. "Never!" Your voice was beginning to leave you and it came out hoarse and raspy. "You must know not all Separatists support the Sith. There are planets who serve them and work for them who simply see their politics differently, and citizens who work for them who just need a job. I was a soldier, not a Sith- I didn't even know I was Force-sensitive until Septus found me. I've found some solace in their teachings, yes, but I would give it all up in a heartbeat if it meant I could go back and never meet my Master." That was the best you could give him for an answer, but he seemed to accept it, nodding. 

"It is very unfortunate you were roped into this life, I'll give you that, Sith." Master Windu spoke again and your skin prickled. 'But you cannot deny the countless crimes you committed against humanity during your career as an apprentice. Masters," He spoke loudly, addressing the Jedi around the room. " I know we all sense great suffering in this woman. But do not ignore the great evil as well. We all feel the pain and death of thousands on her shoulders, lies she brutally stole and-" 

"Master Windu- " Obi-wan started to interrupt him but you cut him off. "No! He's right, Master Obi-wan." Your eyes stung and your heart felt incredibly heavy. As nasty as Windu was acting, he was right. You had done awful things to so many people, and even if you hadn't meant it the damage was still done. "I offer no excuse for the crimes I've committed." Windu crossed his arms and smirked. "Looks like we can finally agree on something." 

Obi-wan stepped in once again. "Yes, well I believe the COuncil must deliberate now. Anakin?" You heard the young Jedi approach from behind you. "Yes, Master." "Would you please escort Carida out? The council needs to discuss some things before we establish our final decision. Captain Rex, you will stay and give us your report of the day's events." You felt Anakin's hand on your shoulder and practically ran out of the room. Ahsoka followed and you all paused outside the doors as they shut firmly. 

"There's a secure room down the hall where you'll need to stay while the council deliberates." Anakin kept his eyes down when he spoke to you. You simply followed him in silence. Ahsoka and he spoke in hushed voices behind you and anger began to form in your gut and mingle with the shame and fear there. You were always being whispered about on the Predator. People would talk about you behind your back as if you couldn't sense every word they said or thought. 

Anakin stopped you after a while and opened a mechanical door by punching a code into the wall panel. It slid open and you went inside wordlessly. Anakin stopped you with a hand on your shoulder, pulling his hand back when you flinched. "Damnit, I'm sorry Carida." You didn't speak and he finally looked up into your eyes. "You- you have to know, I didn't mean for Master Windu to project that datapad for the council. I wanted him to understand-" "What is there to understand, Anakin?" Your voice was raised, bordering on a yell and he stammered for an answer. You knew what he was going to say and it was already pissing you off. 

"Understand that I couldn't be all the 'terrible' things he said because you know me so well from a medical scan? NONE of you know anything about me. Even if I didn't choose to be my Master's apprentice doesn't mean I couldn't have said no. I'm sure if you asked him, your great Master Windu would assure you he would choose death before he committed any of the atrocities I have over the years."

Ahsoka looked like she was about to cry and she shook her head at you vehemently. "Carida, that's not fair! No one can judge another for things they had to do under duress!!" "Isn't that what the council's dong as we speak?" You could tell she wanted to respond but no words would come to her lips. 

"The longer I'm away from... that place, the clearer my head gets and it scares me. I've ruined myself and I have nothing left to lose anymore. I thought I would confess my crimes and the Council would execute me and I was happy. So stop trying to help me and stop trying to understand, because I am not some mistreated Separatist slave. I am a Sith. Not by choice but by actions. I'm tired of people pretending to know who I am when no one does. Not even me." You punched the wall panel so hard it shattered, sending sparks into the hallway. 

You stormed into the room before the door came slamming shut, jamming into place. Your heart was pounding and your head racing. Windu's words had struck you at the center of your soul. You always blocked out your memories of the people you had killed and hurt along with everything else you wanted to forget. Those memories were especially harrowing because deep down, you did truly care about other people. No matter how much you tried to become cold and stoic like your Master it never worked, so you shoved everything deep down. It had worked on the Predator, but now everything was slowly bubbling up and drowning you. You felt the suffering of the thousands of souls you affected pierce you and began spiraling. The walls of the room began to close in around you and you felt your hyperventilating breaths quicken. You grew dizzy after several minutes of pacing and your legs gave out after a few more. You collapsed in the middle of the room onto the thin carpet.  
You woke up with a start to the sounds of machinery and metallic tinkering. Apparently the door was being fixed. You sat up and took in your surroundings. The room was small and plain with a few round seats scattered across it. The sun streamed in through large windows that reached from the floor to ceiling, and you noted the sun hadn't moved so you had probably passed out for only a few minutes. 

The noises at the door soon stopped and you watched it slide open. A droid and Mechanic headed away and Captain Rex came in. He carried a tray of food and gave you a gentle smile. You looked away and closed your eyes. Your last shred of pride didn't want him to see you like this. "General Skywalker asked me to check on you and I figured you'd probably be hungry by now..." You opened your eyes slightly when you heard him sitting down across from you. "I've only had the temple food a few times but it definitely beats field rations." "Rex," You tried to be as gentle as possible for his sake. "I appreciate you following orders and making sure I'm still alive but you don't need to stay here. I'm sure you have more important things to be attending to." You heard him shift uncomfortably. 

"Well, to be completely honest, I volunteered to come to see how you were doing." You turned towards him slightly, peering from the corner of your eyes. "Why?" He cleared his throat and you heard him set the tray down between the two of you. "Well, it was really intense in the Council chamber earlier. That couldn't have been easy to go through." "No, it wasn't." You finally centered your body but kept your eyes down on the tray in front of you, just able to see Rex's boots.

"But why do you care how I'm doing? I'm a Sith. I've killed countless Republic troops including clones. You should hate me." "Did you want to kill them?" "What?" "I said, did you want to kill them? The republic officers and clones?" "I..." You had no idea how to answer this. Did you want to kill them? You never had any real animosity toward the Republic. If anything you had some deep reservations about the Jedi Order specifically but you never hated the Republic for any moral or political reasons. If anything, you hated 'the enemy', but for your Master, the enemy was many different groups at different times- on your last mission it was your Alliance and Order. You had grown to resent the Republic because they were the reason you had to keep killing and fighting and risking failure. Your mind wandered to the tiny infant you had spared on your last mission before this one, and the brutal punishment you had taken in exchange. You didn't hate that baby or anyone else at the temple. You killed them because... 

"No. I didn't want to kill them." "Why did you?" You put your hand over your face and clenched your fist against your forehead. "Rex, I-I can't talk about this." "Carida." Rex inched forward and ever so gently lowered your hand from your face. You kept your head down but let your hand rest in his while he used his thumbs to rub circles on your knuckles, helping you slowly release your fist. "I know this must is incredibly hard to talk bout, and I won't pretend to know what you've been through, but I want to understand." You didn't respond right away but leaned into his feather-light touches, slowly relaxing your body. You let out a soft, shuddery sigh. 

"Y'know, there are a lot of people out there who look down on us clones. They group us all together, see us as one mass of creatures, like cattle or droids. And as much as I respect them, there are some generals out there who get so used to ordering us around and seeing us as bodies for their plans that it gets to us- gets to me. Being a soldier serving a cause is one thing, but not being seen as a person- it's harder than any mission I've ever been on. When I get a chance to talk to my brothers about things other than war, about how I'm feeling, my hopes, my fears, it helps me feel more human. I think that your Master may have used you, made you feel like you weren't a person- and you might have done things you regret now because at the time you stopped thinking for yourself and let the person using you think for you to survive... is any of that sound right?" You were completely stunned. "I... yea. It is, all of it. How did you?..."

"Because I've been there too. Maybe in an entirely different way, but I know how it feels to fight a losing battle between your morals and a person or force that decides whether you live or die." You raised your head just enough to peek at Rex's face. He was looking right at you. Not at your body, not down at you but right back into your eyes, like you were a person. He really did get it. "Thank you." You whispered. He simply smiled and gave your hand a soft squeeze before releasing it. "Now, why don't you eat something?" You nodded. You couldn't have imagined being able to hold food down after the council meeting but just having Rex in the room was making you feel safer than you had in a long, long time.

"Can you stay?" You felt childish asking but you didn't want to be alone right now. Rex smiled again and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I've been told we have quite a while to wait still and we're not going anywhere until this all gets sorted out." You picked up the tray gingerly. Rex was right, it looked much better than field rations. "Talk to me." You blushed as you asked it but you felt uncomfortable eating in silence. "Tell me about you."

Rex told you dozens of stories about everything from shenanigans in the Kaminoan training facility as cadets to action-packed missions full of keeping up with Anakin. He also asked more about you with lighthearted questions, and you told him about your friends and the things you all used to do together. It was bittersweet as you thought about how you would most likely never see them again, but it was amazing to talk to someone about something other than Septus. Better yet, you got to talk to someone who saw you as a person. Not a soldier or a sex object or a villain or a victim. Just two people talking and listening. It was... nice. Very, very nice.

Your time with Rex was unfortunately brought to a halt when you heard a code punched into the newly repaired keypad outside and the door slid open, revealing Obi-wan. Rex rose to his feet and held a hand out to help you up as well. "Hello there. Rex, I was hoping to speak to Carida." Rex nodded, turning to give you a supportive smile as he left. You didn't want him to go but at least Obi-wan seemed to be less severe than his other Jedi-counterparts. 

The door shut behind Rex and Obi-wan sat on one of the circular benches around the room, motioning for you to sit. You hesitantly sat on the bench next to his and waited for him to speak. "First of all, Carida, if I may call you that, I wanted to apologize for what happened in the Council chambers. Master Windu sometimes struggles with... considering the feelings of those he deems a threat, even if he doesn't quite know the whole story." "I appreciate that, Master Kenobi." He nodded, but was silent and seemed to be struggling to speak.

"Did the council decide my fate?" Obi-wan looked thoughtful and placed a hand on his chin, a quirk you were noticing was quite common for him. "A complete decision has yet to be made, and they do have a few more things to discuss with you." He saw the immediate look of panic that encompassed your face. "No, no, you won't have to go back to the council chamber." He held his hands out as if he feared you were going to get up and try to run away. "The council agreed that our last meeting clearly took its toll and have allowed me to speak to you privately and then report back to them." Thank the gods. You never wanted to go back into that room. Talking to Obi-wan was manageable. "I see. Well, I'll answer your questions as best I can."

Obi-wan nodded. "Thank you. I suppose the first thing we need to discuss is where your loyalties lie- you've been quite cooperative with this whole process and I must admit, I'm quite curious as to why." That's a fair question you thought. "I don't think I have any loyalties anymore, Master Kenobi. I fought viciously in the war to stay alive, but the longer I'm here the more I realize I have no opinion on the actual politics of the galaxy. I'm much more concerned with myself right now." 

Obi-wan nodded slowly, taking in all you had said. You felt his energy gently flow around you, unstifling but simply lingering. You wanted to reach out and do the same but you were afraid of what would happen after your incident with Rex. "How would you feel if I asked you to do something that would help the Republic in this war?" You looked at him warily. "You know I won't agree to anything without knowing what you mean, Master Kenobi." Obi-wan cleared his throat and folded his hands in his lap, sitting up straighter and gazing at you. "Would you be willing to help us defeat Lord Septus?" 

"I..." You were stunned. Out of all the things he could have asked you this didn't even cross your mind. "I understand that the two of you had a... complicated relationship." Your eyes narrowed. "And what about it do you 'understand', Master Jedi?" Obi-wan didn't know how to proceed. "Ah, well... I just meant that from what I understand your master and you had a very complicated relationship and-" You held your hand up. 

"Stop. You don't understand and I'm tired of people who don't know me pretending to. And if one more person refers to what "my Master" did to me as a relationship they're going to regret it." "Stars, Carida, I didn't mean to infer-" Kriff, this man is dense. "Yes, you did! You have no idea what my life has been like and you're making assumptions based on a meager report from Anakin and a medical projection. You don't know anything about me and you don't understand my life or what that has to do with what you're asking of me. Being a Jedi Master might make you wise in your Jedi-friend's eyes but it means nothing to me, so stop pretending you understand me!" You leaned forward and spat your words at him. 

He looked truly upset and you wanted to feel bad for snapping at him but you were still too frustrated. "Then help me understand, Carida." Obi-wan was earnest, you felt truth in his energy and you saw hurt in his eyes. You did want to explain, to make him understand why you couldn't do what he was asking, no matter how much you had been hurt on the Predator, but speaking those words seemed impossible. "I can't." You whispered, looking down at your lap. You heard Obi-wan rise from his seat and approach you, casting a shadow over your seated figure. "I may have a way to help with that if you'll allow me."

You looked up and he stretched out a hand that you took hesitantly. He led you to the center of the room and sat down cross-legged where Rex had been sitting earlier. You sat across from him and looked at the Jedi Master quizzically. What was he planning here? "I want us to connect our minds through the Force." Your mind immediately flashed back to what had happened with Rex. "No, no- I can't do that. My connection with the Force is... damaged. I'm not sure how to explain it, but if I try to connect with you I'll harm you." Obi-wan looked confused but simply nodded. "If you are comfortable with it, I can simply connect with your mind. You won't have to use the Force, I'll just need you to allow me access to your mind." No way. You remembered what happened last time he and his Jedi friends had tried to probe your mind and you were not about to go through that again. 

Obi-wan seemed to sense your displeasure with his words. "It won't be anything like what happened in your cell. We believed you were a severe threat to us and needed to know what your plans were. Things are... different now. I give you my word I won't force anything out of your mind. You will lead me through and show me what you want to show me. I may ask for a few specifics, but it's up to you to bring certain memories to the surface or not. If you need me to retreat from your mind I will do so immediately. Is... is this acceptable to you?" 

You thought about it for a moment. You weren't looking forward to having another person in your mind but you could sense nothing but honesty from this man. In fact, it was the purest, cleanest honesty you coil remember ever sensing from anyone, except for Rex and maybe Ahsoka. You also needed someone to understand, someone to finally see the whole truth about your story and why you were the way you are. Someone to see the real you, completely and fully. You slowly nodded your head. 

"I think I can do this." "Very good. I'll need to get a little closer if that's alright." You nodded and Obi-wan shifted forward until your knees almost touching and held a hand in the air as he used the Force to immediately close the blinds on the large windows surrounding the room, casting you into a dim light. "You've meditated before?" You nodded. You closed your eyes and outstretched your good hand palms up on your leg. You instinctively clenched your fist but slowly released it, feeling a ghost of Rex's warm hands softening your grip. 

You sat across from each other in the dark for several minutes before you began to feel his energy surround you gently and you slowly felt weightless. Your mind was floating and you opened your eyes to see you were in space again. You panicked for a minute, remembering what had happened last time you were here but Obi-wan's voice lulled through the silence. "Don't worry. You're safe." You took a deep breath and calmed yourself down. Having a Jedi on your side seemed to have some perks. 

"Now, Carida. Why don't you think about how you came to join the Separatist army." Wow. You hadn't thought about that in a long time. Your mind wandered to those memories and you began to see vague shapes and figures take form in the sparking void around you. You quite remember anything about before you joined, but you had vivid memories of your first few months in the service. You were a normal soldier in officer training, on track to become a lieutenant. 

One day at the Acadamy you had been called to your captain's office where Septus was waiting for you. Seeing his face so vividly in your mind shook you to your core. You could still see the way he had grinned at you with his sharp teeth. Your captain had informed you your position as a soldier was suspended. You now worked for Septus. He had taken you to the Predator and began your training immediately. You had always known you were somewhat Force-sensitive and it had helped you out of a few jams, but he demanded you bend it to your will and gain as much power as possible. 

He came to your bunkroom the very first night. He held you completely still with his mind and gave you your first lesson in how powerful and destructive the Force could truly be. You tried to contact the Captain and explain there must have been a mistake, that this Sith was crazy and you were going to die but your communicator was shut off. The Comm Officer had been instructed not to help you and no one else would acknowledge you when you begged them for a way off the ship and back to the Acadamy. You closed your eyes tightly and felt the memories fade away, casting your back into darkness. 

You felt Obi-wan's presence again and felt comfort. He was giving you time to recollect yourself. You took a deep breath and nodded. You needed to keep going. You felt Obi-wan hold back and grew impatient. You very carefully reached out to him- wanted to keep moving. You struggled to control your mind's energy but it lashed out violently like before and you felt it strike Obi-wan hard. Damnit! Obi-wan recoiled and you felt a tidal wave of his thoughts flood your psyche. You tried to wade through the overwhelming feeling but you noticed one thought of his in particular. 

Why didn't you leave?

You fumed. He wasn't supposed to judge you. He was assuming again, he thought you were weak or even worse deceitful. You reached out again, this time towards your own thoughts, and plummeted into the memory you were reaching for, pulling Obi-wan's mind along with yours. 

Of course, you had tried to leave. Did he really think you wanted to stay? That you enjoyed the sick things your Master had done to you? You barely felt the Jedi's attempts to calm your energy storm of emotions. I'll show you what happened when I tried to leave, Jedi.

You had planned it all out. You spent months hiding your deepest thoughts and convincing your new Master that you were his loyal apprentice. In your limited free time, you had "befriended" one of the officers on the ship and he traded you his spare identification card for a more carnal favor in a maintenance closet. You memorized Septus's schedule and made your plans for one of the days he would be in the lab. He always stayed there for hours and refused to be disturbed for any reason.

You took the card and snuck past the escape pod guards. The card worked and you got inside. The controls were alien to you but you learned them quickly and ejected. You made it. You saw the ship out the back window and watched it begin to get smaller. You smiled for the first time in months. Suddenly, however, your shuttle halted. You panicked, examining the controls and warning lights. Everything was seemingly working. You heard creaking and the grinding of metal on metal. You looked up and saw the roof of your shuttle beginning to bow inward. The escape pod was being crushed. You felt your Master's energy hit you like a ton of bricks and you never felt more scared before in your life. He caught you. 

The walls of the pod jerked further inward as if it was a ball of paper being crushed in a fist. Your heart raced as you went to reach back for the control panel but it lurched toward you and warped in half as the space got tighter and tighter. You screamed as you felt metal dig into your legs and back. You were about to be crushed inside a metal pod in the vacuum of space. You screamed as the metal pressed into you and you were forced to your knees as the ceiling caved in. You were twisted and pierced by stray shards of metal. There was no space left to move to and the metal tightened around you. You felt the air grow stuffy and felt metal against your face. The last thing you remembered was the sound of the metal screeching, muffling your screams.

You had awoken in the pitch black. You felt pains all over your body and reached out into the darkness. You felt four walls very close together, even smaller than the shuttle's interior. You banged, screamed, clawed, and even reached out with the Force but nothing worked. You never found out how long you were inside the closet that first time, but the feeling of that metal piercing your body lingered the whole time and still returned sometimes to this day.

When Septus finally let you out, he had several days of creative punishments waiting but none of them compared to being in that room. And after he finally let you return to training, you promised yourself you would never try to escape again. The memories began to fade and you could finally hear Obi-wan as the roar of your mind dissipated. 

"I'm sorry."

You felt his crystal clear honesty surround you again. You were truly astounded by the pureness of this man's soul. It made it very difficult to remain angry when you could so easily tell it was an honest-to-gods mistake that he was incredibly regretful about. You shrugged. He was within your mind- he knew you weren't angry anymore.

You felt him questioning, probing gently and you shook your head vehemently. No. I'm sorry, I can't. I can't face him again. Not after everything. You know I would rather die than have to go back there. Obi-wan lingered, considering your answer and you heard him once again speaking in your mind. "I'd like to show you something." You were confused but agreed. You closed your eyes and to your surprise, you found yourself on the Predator.

You were standing in a dim, empty hallway, the sounds of the ship echoing down the passages. You began walking forward, wondering how you could be seeing this so vividly and why Obi-wan would show you this. You soon came across a metal door you recognized immediately. It was Septus's chamber. You wanted to run in the opposite direction but you heard the faint sound of screams coming from inside. 

You listened closer. They were panicked, in pain. The voice was high pitched and so, so scared. You waved your hand in front of the sensor to open the door and ran inside, adreniline pumping. The screams were bone-chilling and piercing now. You burst into the bedchambers and stopped in your tracks. You felt your own memories began flowing through your mind as you saw your Master on the bed, grunting and crackling, forcing all of his strength onto a much smaller form strewn across the mattress. She was screaming, crying, begging to be released. Anger filled you once again, even stronger than before. You stormed across the room and lashed out with the Force at your Master's massive form, sending him sprawling off the girl and onto the floor. 

You ran to her and lifted her up, peeling her off the mattress and onto her shaky legs. You finally looked at her face and nearly had a heart attack. The face looking back at you was your own. 

At that moment you heard a deep, guttural warble from the other side of the bed and saw Septus rise, his body expanding and growing larger. He stared down at you and when you saw the glowing yellow of his eyes you began to lose control. Your hold on the Force faltered, sending you spiraling through your thoughts. You fell deeper and deeper but suddenly felt yourself wrenched from the chaos. Your eyes whipped open and you were back in your body, sitting across from Obi-wan as your chest heaved and he looked at you with wide eyes full of concern. 

He reached a hand out to you and you slapped it away. "Why would you show me that?! How did you show me that? Your imagination cannot be that creative." Obi-wan lowered his hand. "No, I assure you it is not. What I showed you were a figment of your own mind." You leaned forward in disbelief. "That wasn't a memory- the woman I saw had my face but she wasn't me! How is that possible?" "Because you hid this fear deep in your mind where I drew it out. You are worried your Master is going to find someone to take your place." 

You scowled. "I..." You wanted to respond with a stinging retort, but he was so right. You had hidden the fear because it was too handle to handle, but you had worried about the thought ever since you had been captured. What if he was already back at the Acadamy, ready to prey on some young girl unprepared for the fact her life is about to be destroyed? You hated to think about it. 

"Fine. You're right. But what does that have to do with this?" Because," Obi-wan began softly. "I want you to think about that girl. You know she has no one on that ship to help her. Septus has everyone under his control. She will live an a nightmare every day for the rest of her life, and if she doesn't exist yet I know you're sure she will; soon." Tears burned the corner of your eyes. "Why are you telling me all of this?" You were hurting so much.

"Because you are that girl's only hope, Carida. Defeating Septus is the only way to make sure no one else ever has to go through what you did." Damnit. He was right. You had no idea what the future held for you, but you were sure you couldn't hope to find any form of life for yourself while your past remained unresolved. You rubbed your forehead and tried to come to terms with what you were about to agree to.

"Okay." Your words were so soft they were barely audible. "I'll do it." Obi-wan looked relieved. "I'm so pleased to hear that. I assure you, your assistance will go along way with the council. There may be a place for you in the Republic after this." You grimaced. "I don't know if there will ever be a place for me anywhere, Master Kenobi. But For the time being, I know I have to do this."


	5. The Return/Fighting Back

Your good hand was tightly clenched as you gazed at the metallic wall of the transport shuttle in front of you, watching the light of hyperspace reflecting off of it. This was really happening. You were going to help the Republic take down Septus.

It was simple, Obi-wan had said. Maybe for him. He was used to crazy missions like this. You had only ever been on covert ops in the far Outer Rim. This was war. You had never had to fly a ship into Separatist airspace and trick a Sith with extreme control over your mind into believing you had finally escaped.

You glanced into the cockpit where Anakin was piloting, Ahsoka making idle chatter beside him. It would be their responsibility to disable the ship's hyperdrive from the inside. You had only agreed to this mission under the stipulation that no damage be done to the ship unless absolutely necessary. Not everyone on this ship was evil, you knew from firsthand experience that good people were working for the Separatists who saw it as just a job or a way to get off of their home planet. Many were even forced into servitude like you.

You thought of Vanessa and Zal and how kind they had always been to you. You would never forgive yourself if any of them ever got hurt. Your job would be to keep Septus distracted as long as possible while the rest of the plan was underway to give the Jedi time to message Obi-wan to bring the rest of the fleet in. The objective was to disable the ship and surround it so escape was impossible. From there they would accept Septus's surrender and take the ship back to Coruscant. It was a massive undertaking and lots of things could go wrong, but the Jedi saw it as a worthy risk.

"Hey." You glanced down and locked eyes with the clone sitting across from you. "You look like you're in a different galaxy right now." You blushed. He must have been watching you as you spaced out. His amber eyes seemed to pierce into your soul somehow and it made your heart race in your chest when you saw him looking at you. "I've been thinking about the mission." Rex gave you a comforting smile. "We're gonna get him, Carida. We can do this."

You looked up tentatively. "Have you ever done anything like this before?" Rex laughed, the bass of his voice stirring your heart once again. "With a commander like General Skywalker, I can say I've been on many missions even more bizarre than this, believe it or not." A loud snort came from the cockpit. "He's not wrong, Sky-guy!" You and Rex peered into the cockpit as Ahsoka punched Anakin in the arm and the Jedi knight grumbled, sending her and her chair spinning on its axle with a Force-push. The chemistry between all of them felt so safe and beautiful. You leaned your head back on the headrest and closed your eyes for a moment, a small peal of laughter escaping your lips.

You felt that familiar tickle in your stomach and opened your eyes to Rex gazing at you once more. "What is it?" You hoped your cheeks weren't as red as they felt. You didn't know why you felt like this every time he looked at you but it was extremely disconcerting. "I'm glad to see you with a smile on your face, is all. It suits you." Your heart lept and you tried to ignore it. "I haven't had anything to smile about in a long time. It's... an unusual feeling."

"Well," Rex leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. "After this mission, we'll have to find you some things to keep that smile on your face." You nodded, heart still fluttering. "After this mission." You agreed softly.

Carida, Rex." Anakin's voice Brought your attention back to the present. You glanced into the cockpit where the Jedi knight had turned in his chair to face you. "We're getting close to the location you gave us- it's time for you two to take over." You nodded and stood up while Anakin and Ahsoka headed into the back where you were.

Ahsoka stopped you as you and Rex walked toward the front of the ship. "Hey, we can do this." Her warm smile was contagious and you gave her a small grin in response. "Thank you, Ahsoka. I hope you're right." Anakin gave Rex a heart salute and Ahsoka elbowed him in the ribs with a grin. You turned and took your seat in the pilot's chair, gripping the controls with your good hand. Rex sat in the copilot seat beside you.

You glanced over your shoulder in time to see Anakin open a hidden compartment in the floor with the Force. He and Ahsoka climbed down inside. Anakin gave you a final nod and placed the metal slab back on top of the hole.

You turned back to the front and gaze at the hypnotic flecks of light flying past through hyperspace and tried to keep yourself calm. You gripped the steering mechanism tighter and sat up straight. Rex noticed your tension and turned to you. "Hey, listen. It's okay to be nervous. But we're going to do this. General Skywalker and I have been on dozens of missions together and General Tano has quickly proven herself to be a formidable Jedi." You grimaced and turned your head to look at him, keeping your hand on the stick. "It's not your abilities I'm worried about." Rex frowned. "Carida, the Council wouldn't have asked you to do this if they thought you wouldn't be capable. From what I've heard, you stood your own against Ventress. It takes a great warrior to pull off something like that and escape with just a broken bone."

You shook your head, looking forward to avoid eye contact. "I know I can fight. I've relied on my strength my whole life. I..." You groaned. You really didn't want to talk about this. Rex seemed to have this idealistic view of you and you didn't want to let him down by telling him what was wrong. You were terrified of seeing your Master. You had tried to defy him before and always failed, and you didn't know if you would be able to stand up to him if the time came.

"When my clone squadron gets new troops, they're either overly excited and arrogant or scared out of their minds, convinced they'll screw up a mission." You kept looking out the front of the ship as Rex spoke softly next to you.

"I tell the hot-headed Shinies to shove it and take note of the other's nervousness, and I tell all the scared one's the same thing: It all comes down to one moment- the one second where you have to make a decision that will either save you and your team or cost you your life. At that moment, training might help, sure, but more importantly, it's about the feeling you get deep in your chest. An instinct, a sixth sense that jumps into action and knows exactly what to do to help you survive. I've seen clones near death do incredible things to save themselves or others, and they always say they just knew what they had to do and found the energy and courage deep inside themselves to do it."

You smiled softly to yourself, his words bringing you a tiny bit of relief from your anxiety. "It sounds like you're describing the Force." Rex shrugged. "The Jedi call it the Force, us clones call it a "feeling", I've heard other people call it other names as well. Maybe it's all the same thing, but the point is "It", whatever It is, is inside all of us, including you. You will know what to do, and I have every confidence you'll be able to face whatever lies ahead. You just need to trust yourself."

Tears sprang up in the corner of your eyes and you blinked them away. Maybe he was right. You had survived this long and gotten through everything life had thrown at you so far. Why should this be any different? You wiped your eyes and spun in your chair to face the clone captain. "Thank you."

Rex smiled gently, and you saw him gaze at you with the look he had after the Council meeting as if he was looking at an undiscovered planet full of intricate, ancient architecture and new, lush plant life. You felt his gaze down to your soul and this time you kept your head raised, eyes meeting his in a powerful moment. You felt your energy passively mingle with his, not dangerously like last time but simply peaceful. His aura flashed golden amber in your mind and left the faintest hint of peppermint on your tongue. His presence was warm and comforting, his thoughts hidden but clearly focused on this moment, and in the back of your mind, you thought you noticed yourself slowly leaning forward in your chair...

You blinked, and the sensation quickly dissipated. What was that noise? You turned your head and saw a light pulsing on the console, the beeping sound finally reaching your ears. It was time. Oh my gods, oh my gods, oh my gods... You glanced over at Rex, panic settling into your eyes but he furrowed his brow, placing a hand on your armrest. "You've got this. Don't forget." You took a deep breath and nodded.

Turning back to the controls, you pulled the ship out of hyperspace and watched as the dark expanse of space materialized in front of you. You saw a large moon in the distance and gulped. The Predator was behind it if it hadn't been called elsewhere since you had been away. Your hopes were confirmed when an incoming transmission beeped as you got closer.

"Unidentified ship, this is the Predator of Count Dooku's provisional fleet. You have entered Separatist airspace. Identify yourself now or be destroyed." You took a deep breath and responded. "Predator, this is Apprentice Carida. Please inform Lord Septus that I have returned." You held your breath as you waited for an answer. "Apprentice Carida, please standby." Kriff.

Your vessel was a tiny transport ship- if they decided not to trust you they could obliterate the whole vessel with one shot. You wanted to reach out to the Jedi with you for some kind of reassurance but you knew doing so would give them away. The life sign scanners needed to only detect your signature for the plan to work. After what felt like an eternity, you heard the transmission crackle to life again, but you felt your heart drop from your chest as a familiar voice boomed. "Carida, this is Lord Septus. Where the HELL have you been?"

Your whole body shook and you desperately tried to control yourself. "Master, it's good to hear your voice." Familiar nausea settled in your stomach like a brick. "I regret to inform you I was delayed in my return after the Republic claimed the planet, but I was able to escape today and make it to the Gozgo outpost. The technician there was able to help me find my way back here. May we approach?"

A few seconds of silence followed again- they were most likely scanning the ship now. You glanced at Rex again who gave you a nod. "Carida, land in the starboard hangar bay and immediately report to the bridge for a debriefing." You wanted to jump up and down in celebration. "Yes, Master! Right away." You piloted the ship forward and approached the Predator. The relief you felt quickly dissipated as you breached the entrance to the hangar bay. The approach was the easy part- a much more difficult task awaited you and your newfound team. 

Every muscle in your body fought against your brain as you landed the transport ship in the Predator's main hangar.

It was truly bizarre walking through the passages of this ship again. Everything was so familiar; nothing had changed since you had last been there but everything about you was completely different. You glanced at the clone captain walking next to you in his Separatist armor. Never would you have thought you'd be doing something like this, and yet here you were.

You hurried through the halls, trying to avoid eye contact with the soldiers and ship hands you passed. For the first time, you felt grateful for the way people on this ship avoided you like the Blue Shadow Virus. It made it much easier to traverse the ship undisturbed. Rex followed behind you silently, trusting your memory. You estimated you were about halfway to the hyperdrive station when you finally found an empty hallway to duck into.

The two of you released the breaths you had been holding behind your teeth and you lifted your right arm to quietly speak into your wrist communicator. "This is Carida, come in Master Skywalker." The tiny machine on your wrist beeped. "Carida, this is Anakin. How are things?" "We're both okay up here. We're almost at our destination, but Septus will start wondering what's taking me so long soon." "Alright, understood. Ahsoka and I will head out to stall him as long as possible. Get to the hyperdrive as quickly as you can." Anakin hung up and you lowered the communicator.

You glanced over at Rex. "You ready?" The clone gave you a determined nod, standing up straighter. "Let's do this." You headed out once again, navigating the ship in even more haste than before. Anakin and Ahsoka would only be able to stay hidden for a short time before they would be spotted and the Predator would enter high alert. You had to get to the hyperdrive station before that happened.

You were getting very close as you hastened through the ship when you whipped around a corner and nearly collided with someone. They cried out with a start as you both stepped back, and as you looked at the person in front of you your heart dropped in your chest. Zal stood before you, catching his balance and staring at you as if you were a ghost. "Carida?!" His eyes were wide as he stepped towards you, hands held out in a question. This was bad.

"Zal!" You prayed he couldn't read the alarm in your face as you forced a smile. "It's so good to see you." The brunette continued to stare as if he still didn't believe it was you. "What in the galaxies are you doing here? We heard you were M.I.A. after the last mission to-" "I was captured!" You interrupted him a little too quickly, but you needed to get moving. You hated acting like this and your heart ached to tell your friend everything, but you knew that would mean the end of the mission and the death of your new friends. "I was finally able to escape and just got back. I'm on my way to debrief right now."

Zal gave you a confused look. "Why are you in the back of the ship? You know where Septus' quarters are..." "O-of course! I'll be honest, it's been a while since I've been here and it's been a super long day. I got turned around!" You forced a chuckle and hoped it sounded genuine. "Thanks so much, Zal, you're a lifesaver." Your friend had a strange look on his face but nodded.

"Who's this chatty fellow?" He gestured toward a silent Rex standing next to you in his Separatist armor. You looked at Rex who looked back at you through his helmet. "Oh, he's a soldier from the station I hitched a ride from. We're both going to debrief- speaking of which, we really need to go, you know how Septus is. We'll have to catch up later, it was so good to see you Zal!" You didn't wait for a response as you hurried away past him, frantically motioning for Rex to follow you.

You practically ran through the ship till you were certain he couldn't catch back up. "That was way too damn close." You panted, catching your breath as you slowed your pace to a brisk walk. "I take it that was a... friend of yours?" Rex asked quietly as you journeyed forward. "Yea, he was." Your heart stung again but you swallowed the feeling. You needed to focus on the mission at hand.

You finally arrived at the hallway that housed the hyperdrive station. You approached the large doorway as your communicator beeped. You glanced at Rex and answered. The sound of laser blasts and shouting was heard from the other end. "Carida! Rex!" Anakin's voice could be heard over the chaos. "We were found a little sooner than expected." "Uh, yea, because you just had to take out that droid for getting too close to you!" Ahsoka yelled over the din of battle. "Not now, Snips! We need that hyperdrive disabled as soon as possible, please!" "Of course, Master Skywalker. We won't let you down." You tried to sound confident and hide the worry inside your chest. "Good! We've no doubt caught the attention of your old master with our predicament so he'll be distracted while you finish."

The communicator shut off and you and Rex turned to the hyperdrive station entrance. A large security terminal was attached to the wall nearby, and you approached it cautiously. The terminal required a security card to open the door- something you didn't have. You frowned and tried to open the back of the mechanism but couldn't wrench it open with one hand.

"Rex, could I get some help here?" You stepped aside so the captain could yank the front of the security console off, revealing a nest of wires and metallic disks. "Thank you." Rex nodded and stood back with his gun at the ready, watching the hallway you came down. You examined the internal mechanism and huffed. You were decent with technology and ship mechanisms, but this was a bit more intense than anything you'd try to do before.

You reached in and tried to disconnect the wire controlling the card reader, but it crackled with energy as you tore it out, sending painful shocks up your good arm. You jumped back with a yell, shaking your hand and cursing under your breath. Rex turned to you quickly, dropping his gun to his side. "Carida, are you okay?" He took your hand and examined your fingers. His face was hidden behind his helmet but his voice had a shadow of panic, his aura exuding concern.

"Hey, hey!" You tilted your head to catch Rex's eyes with your own. "Rex, I'm okay. Just got a little singed." He looked at you and you gave him a smile to let him know you were okay. He slowly let go of your hand. "Sorry- I don't know what happened." He looked away and you felt his aura shift to more bashful energy. You shook your head. "It's okay, Rex. I honestly appreciate it, but I'm not gonna get hurt by a little electric shock. I'm okay, alright?" Rex looked back at you and nodded, putting both hands back on his weapon. You nodded back with a small smile and got back to work on the door.

However, as you began poking around inside again you and Rex both began to hear footsteps coming down the hall. Rex lifted his weapon and you turned around in alarm. The footsteps began to get louder and you could discern several different people now. "Kriff!" You turned back and frantically muddled with the wires. "Carida..." Rex whispered harshly. "It's now or never!" You grit your teeth and replaced one of the disks in a different slot, sending sparks out of the console. "I'm doing my best!"

The footsteps were now accompanied by voices and Rex began aiming down the hallway, preparing for battle when you slammed your hand against the console in frustration. More sparks lept from the wires and the door shot open. You stared for a second in disbelief but Rex yelled for you to get inside and you scrambled to your feet, running inside.

"Okay, now we're in! Can you shut the door?" You stared at the clone trooper. "Uhhh..." You both saw the approaching figure's shadows in the hallway as the voices began yelling, obviously spotting the disassembled door controls. "Carida..." Rex tried not to raise his voice but he was obviously panicked. You cursed under your breath and, grabbing the small laser pistol at your side, shot the door controls on your side of the wall. The console shattered, sending sparks and metallic shards to the floor and the large door fell closed with a resounding echo. You and Rex both let out a huge sigh. You turned around to examine the hyperdrive station.

The room was filled with machinery, wiring, and consoles all surrounding a massive structure in the center. You immediately ran to the main console at the base of the large, metallic mechanism and got to work. This was the kind of mechanical work you were more accustomed to. It would only take you a minute or two to get the hyperdrive shut off. "Rex," you called over your shoulder. "Contact Anakin and Ahsoka and make sure they're okay. They should have found Septus by now." Rex drew his weapon to guard the door and turned on his communicator. "General, come in. What's your status?"

Across the ship, Anakin and Ahsoka had fought through the droids and soldiers who discovered them and were approaching Septus' quarters. Carida had told them he would be waiting for her to report there, and Anakin was carefully tracking Septus' putrid stench through the Force. They arrived at the entrance to his quarters.

Both Jedi readied themselves as the door slid open and they entered silently, drawing their sabers to illuminate the pitch-black room. The dark side was so strong inside it was making Ahsoka dizzy. "Do you sense him, Master?" Anakin shook his head, frowning. "It's the opposite- I sense his energy everywhere. It's strange..."

Anakin's communicator beeped and he answered, maintaining his defensive stance. "General, come in. What's your status?" "Rex. We've reached Septus' quarters and we're searching for him. How are things up-" "General?" Rex sounded confused. "Rex, can you hear me?" "Gen... you... the... interference..." The audio was static and Rex's voice was barely audible. "Rex? Rex!" Anakin growled, slamming his hand against the communicator, but it continued to sputter.

Suddenly, all the lights in the room flickered on. Both Jedi raised their weapons in alarm, and all at once, the suffocating presence of the Dark Side in the room disappeared. "Master, what's happening?" Anakin grimaced. "We've been tricked. We have to move!"

Back in the hyperdrive station, you were making good progress with the hyperdrive as Rex tried to reach Anakin and Ahsoka. "Rex." Anakin's voice came through the captain's communicator. "We've reached Sep... searching... How are... up..." Anakin's voice began cutting out into harsh static. Rex frowned beneath his helmet, raising his hand to try to hear better. "General?" "Re... c... you... me?" The interference was getting worse. "General, you're breaking up. There's some intense interference, I'll try to contact you again when we're done." The communicator didn't beep again. What's going on?" You asked over your shoulder as you worked. Rex shrugged. "Something's interfering with our communications. That shouldn't be happening." You rubbed your temple, trying to not get too worried. "Well, I'm almost finished, and then we can go see what-"

The lights in the station began flickering and the door to the room suddenly began shaking. The metal shook and reverberated throughout the room. Rex held up his blaster and you turned with your pistol as the door screeched open. Your skin ran cold and you almost lost your footing as your body began shaking. Standing in the doorway with a crimson, glowing blade in hand, was Septus.


	6. A Moment/ Another Opens

"Carida."

The voice of your master reverberated through the room and chilled you to your core. Your legs threatened to give out on you as your eyes met his. Septum stepped forward and Rex began firing. "Die, Sith scum!" He yelled, and you tried to stop him but before you could the Sith easily blocked the lasers with his lightsaber and raised his hand to Force-grab Rex, throwing him into the wall. You screamed as you watched the captain collide with the metal of the walls, his helmet flying and his body slumping to the floor.

Septus extinguished his saber and turned towards you. "So, you've aligned yourself with our enemy." He tutted disapprovingly, taking a few steps forward. You snatched your pistol from your side and aimed it at him. "Don't come any closer." You yelled the words loudly but the shaking of your voice betrayed you.

Septus threw his head back and laughed, his voice grating against your soul. "You foolish, foolish girl." He took a step closer. You tried to hold yourself steady but the shaking reached your hands and your blaster wavered.

"Carida!" Anakin's voice rang out from behind the metal door to the hallway. Septus snapped around, stretching out his hand to use the Force on the door. A resounding "thunk" echoed and an additional outer door slammed shut over the already sealed entrance. You cursed inwardly. He had initiated the magnetic lockdown. Two bright shapes appeared in the door, sending sparks flying as the Jedi on the other side began slowly cutting through with their lightsabers, but Septus turned back to you, ignoring them.

"Did you really think you could ever defy me?" Another step. "I plucked you from the mediocre masses." Another. You were frozen, unable to think or move or fight. "I formed you into a warrior worthy of my mentorship, worthy of the Sith name." Another. Septus was within arms reach now, staring down at you. "Everything you are is because of me."

You could smell his nauseating, thick stench, his body almost touching yours. Your hands were shaking and you began lowering the blaster. Tears stung your eyes as you stared into his grinning eyes. You couldn't do this, you couldn't fight him. There was no point, no hope. Septus leaned down and hissed in your ear. "Without me, you are nothing, woyunoks."

No.

Septus turned to stare at the side of your face, his glare permeating through you. His hand reached to clutch the blaster in your loose grasp, slowly pulling it away. "It's time to end this."

"No."

Your master's other hand found its way to your waist, his fingers familiarly digging into your skin. Every inch of his body that touched you felt like a thousand maggots squirming against your skin. "What did you say to me, woyunoks?"

You inhaled a shaky breath, scrunching your eyes shut. Every fiber of your body wanted to freeze, to shut off, and give up. In your mind, you figured you probably should. There was no way you could win, and it would be less painful to just give in.

It all comes down to one moment- the one second where you have to make a decision that will either save you and your team or cost you your life...

it's about the feeling you get deep in your chest...

a sixth sense that jumps into action and knows exactly what to do to help you survive...

the Jedi call it the Force, us clones call it a "feeling"...

whatever It is, It's inside all of us, including you. You will know what to do... you just need to trust yourself.

"I. Said. NO!!" You wrenched the blaster back from Septus' grasp and threw your arm back, swinging it forward and crushing your master's jaw with the hard metal. Septus reeled back, letting you go and clutching his face. He drew his hand away, seeing the blood pooled in his palm. He looked at you with a piercing glare, rage burning in his eyes.

You opened fire. Septus jumped away, drawing his saber quickly to deflect the lasers. You were relentless, firing beam after beam. You glanced at the station entrance and saw Anakin and Ahsoka were almost through, the melted metal almost reaching a complete circle in the door. Septus kept deflecting your shots and was regaining ground. He shrieked over the sounds of battle.

"You pathetic worm!" He spat the words at you, quickly gaining ground. "You are simply putting off the inevitable- you know I will subdue you as always. You are mine and will always be-"

"SHUT UP!" You screamed over him, silencing your master. Each word erupted hoarsely from your throat, pained and loud. "I don't belong to anyone. You don't own me and you never will. I have found friendship, kindness, and forgiveness in this galaxy- things you will never know because you are cruel and bitter. I have choices and freedom, you have nothing. I am Carida, and you are nothing."

The hole in the door was finally complete, and it began to screech as the Jedi pushed it in with the Force. Septus gritted his teeth as his rage shone, stepping toward you but screaming as he recoiled, grasping his hand and dropping his saber.

You turned to see where the bullet came from and saw Rex looking in your direction, holding himself up from the floor, blaster still aimed toward the Sith. You met each other's gaze for a moment before the metal cut-out in the door finally came flying out and clattered to the floor.

Anakin and Ahsoka came flooding through, lightsabers at the ready. Septus turned back to you and held out his hand. You were immediately lifted up off your feet as he clenched the Force around your throat. You gasped for breath, clutching at your neck as he turned to the Jedi and Clone, maintaining his grasp on your oxygen flow.

"If any of you so much as moves, I will snuff the life out of this pathetic creature." Anakin's eyes were full of anger but he held still. Ahsoka followed suit, her face full of concern. "Septus, there's no way for you to escape," Anakin spoke firmly. "Let Carida go and we'll be civil about this." Septus smirked, feeling his control over the situation. "I think not."

Septus pulled a hand-held communicator out of his robe, holding it in his hand and activating it. A Separatist droid appeared in the hologram projector. "Send reinforcements to my location, we have intruders on board." The droid saluted. "Roger, roger. Reinforcements are on their way." Septus turned off the communicator and returned it to his pocket. "Now, we should discuss your surrender, Jedi scum."

You were growing dizzier by the second and your vision was fading. There was no way Anakin and Ahsoka would sacrifice you, and they would be tortured and killed if the reinforcements arrived. You knew you had to do something, and quickly before you lost consciousness. Despite the pressure at your throat and the strain on your neck at holding up all your body weight, you closed your eyes and focused as best you could. You felt yourself floating away, reaching into space and watching your surroundings fade.

You were in a void. Nothingness surrounded you. You were still, simply existing in the space and feeling the absence swirl past you. You had been here many times before, but it was different now. You were patient, you beckoned gently and waited. You waited for It.

Eventually, It became curious. It crept closer, sensing the vast difference in your energy. You sensed It approaching and remained still, opening yourself up to It. It got closer, reaching out and timidly mingling with you. You were gentle and kind, and It accepted this. It wanted to share something with you. You accepted.

Immediately you felt the pain, the fear It had felt in the past. The suffering you inflicted upon It. It showed you the feeling It felt when you had caught it in the past, the pain of your mind power strangling it. You felt the constriction of your own grasp around It and recognized how eerily familiar the suffocating feeling was.

You finally understood and were truly heartbroken. You wanted to apologize, beg for forgiveness and make amends. You reached out to It, and It accepted those emotions. Relief washed over you, pulling your guilt away. It shared its energy with you and you coexisted in the space, the void filling with respect and kindness, and understanding. You merged with It and became One.

You opened your eyes, returning to the hyperdrive station. The choking sensation around your neck returned, the already raw skin there burning. Septus was gloating to Anakin and Ahsoka who seemed unsure of what to do. You looked at Rex, still slumped against the wall, as he looked on in fear. You glanced at the floor and saw Septus' lightsaber.

It all comes down to one moment.

You reached out with It- with The Force, and for the first time, you worked together as One.

Whatever It is... you will know what to do... you just need to trust yourself.

You willed the saber to yourself, and in one motion it was swept up off the floor and into your hand, igniting on the way. You swung it down as best you could and sliced Septus' right arm off of his body.

Septus screamed and collapsed. He lost his hold on you and you also fell, coughing and finally able to take a full breath. Blood quickly began to pool around the Sith and the smell of burnt flesh filled your nostrils. Anakin and Ahsoka looked stunned but quickly subdued Septus. "Carida, are you okay?" Anakin asked earnestly. You nodded, giving him a small smile as you rubbed your neck and waited for the dizziness to leave your head.

Ahsoka ran to help you and Anakin approached the console to make the final adjustments to the hyperdrive mechanism. Ahsoka took your hand and helped you carefully to your feet. "Carida, that was incredible." Her eyes shone. "I sense... so much light around you. It's amazing." You smiled, remembering your trance. "I have a lot of wounds to heal, but I'm getting there slowly."

Once you were stable, you ran to help Rex. He was sitting up against the wall, gun still in hand. You kneeled down to examine the extent of his injuries. "Where does it hurt?" You asked anxiously. "Everywhere." Rex said, but you saw a smile on his face. "I'm okay, I don't think anything's broken. I could use a hand getting up though." You beamed a relieved smile in return. "I can help with that." You stood and took both of his hands in yours, pulling him up gently.

Rex stood slowly and shook his head clear of the mind-fog. As he centered himself, you couldn't help but gaze at the amber eyes you'd grown to recognize. He caught you staring and squeezed your hands, making you turn away as your cheeks burned.

"Thank you." You said quietly. Rex laughed. "For what? I don't really remember being much of a help here." You glanced back at his face, ignoring your blushing face. "For what you said back on the ship. And for not giving up on yourself- or me."

The captain tilted his head, amber eyes swimming with mysterious thoughts and feelings you longed to explore. His pure, strong energy resonated within you. "Carida, I-"

"Hey, guys!" Ahsoka came bounding over. "My Master finished the tech work to shut down the hyperdrive! All that's left is contacting Master Kenobi to bring the rest of the fleet in to take control of the Predator." You glanced over at the body of your old Master and back to the new friends you had around you. You actually did it. Holy Shit. 

________________________________________________________________________________________________

The inhabitants of the Predator quickly surrendered when they realized their leader was subdued, their hyperdrive was disabled, and their ship was surrounded by several Republic cruisers led by Obi-wan Kenobi.

The Predator was escorted back to Coruscant with the fleet and preparations were made to disable all droids aboard and take the many soldiers prisoner. The Republic Senate considered the mission a great achievement, and the people of the Republic received a much-needed spark of hope in the darkness of the war.

You and your "team" boarded Obi-wan's ship before the flight to Coruscant where you were all congratulated on your success. Ahsoka gave you a huge hug and even the other clones and officers on the ship looked at you warmly. You really felt like you might have a place here.

Obi-wan was glad to see you and you were beyond glad to see him. You couldn't wait to tell him later about your new, healing connection with the Force. The journey back to Coruscant was quick, but new anxieties lied back in the city.

The first problem was the fact that the Chancellor himself had requested an audience with you. You had no idea why he would possibly want to meet you, but Anakin said it had something to do with the part you played in the successful mission. The second problem was the news that Septus had somehow survived. The med team arrived to take care of the body expecting him to be dead, but miraculously he still had a weak pulse. Even though he was being treated in a high-security Sith holding block, you still felt uneasy knowing he was alive on the same planet as you.

The last problem was the uncertainty of your future. No one had mentioned to you what would happen to you after the mission and you really hadn't thought about it for yourself either. You were fairly confident that you weren't a prisoner any longer, but you also didn't know if they'd simply let you wander off into the galaxy.

You also didn't even know where you'd go if they told you you could live. You didn't remember anything before being taken by Septus except vague memories from the academy, so as far as you were concerned you'd never even lived anywhere else but on a ship.

Maybe you could go to your homeworld, to Carida. You wondered if you had a family out there somewhere. It was a nice thought to think someone missed you but it was also sad to think you'd probably never find them if they existed.

All of these thoughts ran through your head while Ahsoka and Rex escorted you to the Coruscant barracks. You were being given temporary quarters there until the Council decided what to do with you, you supposed.

The barracks was a massive structure with military cannons mounted on the sturdy walls surrounding it. You would be staying in the clone's wing which was the majority of the building aside from the section for lower-class officers, pilots, and other military workers. Ahsoka said goodbye to you at the entrance, giving you another big hug. "I'll see you real soon, and don't worry."

You were confused, you hadn't shared any of your concerns with her yet. Ahsoka gave you a knowing smile. "Your place in our world will become clear very soon. The Force will guide you." "Thank you, Ahsoka. I really hope so." The padawan waved goodbye as she headed off, leaving you and Rex at the entrance. "Are you ready?" The captain asked. You nodded, smiling. The two of you entered the barracks.

You had never seen so many clones in one place as you did inside the barracks. They were clones relaxing, playing games, heading out for tours in their armor, and some arriving back from missions. Rex led you through the large rooms and many hallways of the building, greeting each clone he passed with a salute, handshake, or other greetings unique to them each.

You thought it would be hard to tell each clone apart, but now that you had met several and were now walking among so many, you didn't understand how anyone could ever get them confused. Each clone passing you had a completely different energy about them that filled your mind with different colors and thoughts. One clone's aura would surround him as magenta swirls, gently fluctuating and lending a soft floral scent, while another's would zip through him in streaks of dark blue, reaching out to others eagerly and smelling like warm cedar.

Despite the many differences, the energy in this place was effortlessly balanced. All of the beings coexisted perfectly and all of their personal auras complemented each other, creating a truly remarkable energy that flowed through you.

Rex brought you to a small room in a hallway off one of the large bunk areas. "Most of the clones sleep together in the bunks, but the officers have their own quarters for security purposes," Rex explained as he opened the door, leading you inside. "You'll stay here in one of our spare officer quarters for the time being."

You looked around at the humble living area. There was a small cot, a footlocker, and a doorway to a small refresher on one side. On the surface, it seemed like a small, plain room but to you, it was so much more than that. It was your own space, really your own, even if only for a little while. You didn't need to share it with anyone else or worry about your safety while resting. To be honest, you felt safer in this barracks than you think you ever had anywhere else.

Rex broke you out of your thoughts with a small nudge. "Are you okay?" He asked. You nodded, looking around the room with a smile. "I'm very okay." You walked around the room a little, running your hand along the blanket on the cot and peeking inside the refresher.

"We had some more clothes put in the footlocker that should fit you. If there's anything else you need just let us know, and once the Predator has been fully secured you can bring any personal items you have here." You shook your head. "There's nothing on that ship that I need anymore." Rex nodded. "Well, I'll leave you to rest and settle in. Since this is the officer's quarters, my room is right down the hall so if you need anything I'll be nearby." That made you feel much better about being here alone. Even though you felt physically safe, it was still a very large building full of people you had yet to get to know.

"In a little while, we can go down to the mess hall and get dinner." You smiled. "That sounds nice." Rex nodded and turned to leave, opening the door but you placed a hand on his arm. "Rex? Thank you, again." The captain smiled at you, looking at you with the gaze that made you flutter inside. "Thank you, Carida." Rex left and closed the door behind him.

The first thing you did was take a shower in the refresher. You still relished the experience of cleansing yourself and washing away the grime of battle. You carefully washed your neck, wincing as you touched the fresh scratches and friction burns there. Your arm was healing well and you could remove your sling to shower with only a little pain.

When you were finished, you put on the bathrobe you found in the bathroom and went to examine the clothes in the footlocker. There were a few more robes similar to the one you were given when you first arrived on Coruscant and a few pairs of loose pants and long tunics. A pair of boots were also inside as well as a few plain undergarments and socks. You selected a pair of dark pants and a cream-colored tunic and put them on with the boots provided.

Not too long after you got dressed, there was a knock on your door. You opened it to see Rex dressed in his red fatigues. "You ready?" He asked. You simply nodded, smiling and feeling it reach your eyes.

Rex led you down through the barracks to the mess hall which was bustling. You entered timidly as you still didn't feel comfortable in large crowds but Rex was a comforting presence beside you. "By the way," He said as you followed him through the mess hall. "THere's a couple of people who'd like to see you." You looked at him questioningly but he only smiled at you and continued walking. Rex led you to a table where a few other clones were sitting. You immediately recognized them as Kix and Jesse.

You and Rex sat down at the table. "Carida, how are you?" Kix greeted you warmly. "I hope your shoulder's doing better." you sat next to Rex across from the two other clones and grinned. It was really nice to see a familiar face in this massive room of strangers.

"Hi Kix, I'm doing pretty well. My shoulder's doing well too, I had a great medic help me out with it." Kix beamed, slapping a hand onto Jesse's shoulder. "I told you this girl has jokes!"

You glanced at Jesse who gave you a small smile. "Hey, Carida. I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry for everything from before, I wish we could have met under better circumstances." You shook your head. "It's not your fault Jesse, you were just doing your duty. I would have done the same in your place."

"Well thanks, Carida. That's good to hear. And now," He added, elbowing Kix. "We can get to know you properly! So tell us all about you."

"Umm..." You were extremely uncomfortable. "Well, the thing is, I don't really remember much from my past... and up until recently my present wasn't anything fun to talk about." Jesse nodded somberly. "That's obviously understandable, no worries. I think the three of us can relate to that in some ways. With rapid aging, we never had any kind of childhood and although there have been fun moments, our whole lives have circulated around fighting this war."

You had never thought about the clone's existence in that way before, and it was pretty similar to your current situation. For all intents and purposes, none of you had any childhoods or pasts. All any of you knew was war.

Rex bristled slightly at Jesse's words. "That may be true, but we're honored to serve the Republic. It's our duty." Glancing at Rex, you reached across the table to set a hand on Jesse's forearm. "One of the many things that I've learned in the past couple weeks is that there are many more things out in the galaxy than fighting and war."

"Hopefully, we win this war soon and we can all learn more about what the world has to offer together."

Dinner with the clones was a wonderful time. The barracks food was better than anything you had in space on the Predator, and it was amazing to sit with friends and just relax and talk and joke.

You were exhausted from the social interaction by the time the clones decided to call it a night, and Rex led you back to your quarters as you hobbled along, trying to keep your eyes open. You almost tripped up a ramp on the way and from there Rex kept a gentle but firm hand on your good arm the rest of the way.

Rex brought you to your room and opened the door for you. You simply stood in the doorway, blinking to stay awake. "Rex?" Your voice was quiet. "What's going to happen to me?"

Rex sighed deeply, meeting your gaze. "I'll be honest, Carida, I don't know what the Council will decide. Still, I know you've proven yourself as an ally to our cause and that will have a huge impact on the outcome. I'm sure they'll let you go."

You bit your lip, concern written across your face. "Rex, I have nowhere to go. I don't remember ever being on my own. The only things I've ever known is the Predator and now... all of this." You motioned to the barracks around you and the military sector of Coruscant as a whole.

"The Jedi are very kind and understanding. They'll help you find your place."

"What if this is my place?"

Rex's eyes left your face and flickered toward the floor at your words and you feared you said something wrong. "I-I'm sorry, I know that's stupid-"

"No, it's not." The captain managed to glance back at you but still averted his gaze. "There's a small chance the Council will want you to stay and help with the war efforts." His eyes finally met yours and to your great surprise, the Clone Captain was blushing hard. "And I really hope you get to stay."

Your heart leaped in your chest. You wanted to assess his energy but your head was too fuzzy from the honesty and possible implications of his words, so instead you smiled, your own cheeks burning now as well.

"I really hope I do too." You took Rex's hand in yours to give it a tight squeeze before heading into your quarters.

You spent the night dreaming of the fantastical world you had found yourself drawn into in the past weeks where you were wanted, respected, valued, and accepted.


End file.
